Sins of the Survivor
by Chiara Crawford
Summary: ON HIATUS! Harry Potter, prophesized to be the mortal enemy of the Dark Lord. How far will he go in order to survive?
1. Prologue

**Sins of the Survivor**

_Disclaimer:_ Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.

_A/N: _Well, prologue. Not much to say there. So, what do you think?

* * *

**Prologue**

Darkness crept around him, enfolding him, covering him like a warm blanket. The big windows gave no light, as the moon was hidden behind black clouds. It would rain soon, washing away the sins of the mortals, of murderers and victims alike.

_But nothing will ever clear me of my sins, murderer that I am, will be._

Dark green eyes looked into the mirror before him, sharpening with the forbidden knowledge of his fate.

…_neither can survive…_

He had always been alone. No matter how far back in time he went, it was the same old thing. Loneliness. Nothing but loneliness.

The knife in his hands glittered with magic, blood dripping from its tip. A cruel smirk, almost a grimace, graced his youthful face.

He had always been a survivor.

Wolves roaming in forests far away, howled, magical creatures looked up and acknowledged a pledge long forgotten to the world, a phoenix, sitting comfortably on his perch in Albus Dumbledore's office sang a mournful melody.

And survive he would.

Somewhere, in a castle, seemingly abandoned, Tom Riddle shuddered as cold fear gripped him.


	2. A New Teacher

**Sins of the Survivor**

_Disclaimer:_ Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.

_A/N: A little chapter to begin with. Tell me what you think. I plan to make Harry somewhat darker, more brooding but not evil. But well, the rest you've got to find out for yourself._

**Chapter1**

**A New Teacher**

Rain fell heavily on the Hogsmeade Station, making the students run to the carriages, trying desperately to not get wet. Owls hooted, children hurried and thestrals, even if only a few unlucky souls could see them, tossed their heads back, stamping impatiently on the ground.

One such soul could be seen walking calmly, seemingly content to be soaked through, to a carriage in the back of the caravan, stopping silently in front of the thestrals and petting them affectionately. White, piercing eyes met emerald green, once full of life, forgotten what he had learned during long years of solitude and pain, now remembering, the want to survive kicking in.

His cloak sheltered him from the rain, shrouding him in the comforting darkness of the night, giving him the ability to observe and to learn what he deemed necessary. Many of those, who still lingered by the carriages, gave him a wide berth. Probably fearing him, as he looked as frightening and similar to the Dark Lord as a person could ever be.

He was one of the last to enter the Great Hall, seating himself beside Hermione and letting his cloak fall back. It was the first time that anyone saw the youth who was Harry Potter. Black hair, oddly reminiscent of the late convict Sirius Black, hung messily around his face and piercing emerald eyes, no longer hidden behind glasses, gave him an almost ghostly look.

"Harry! Where have you been? We've looked everywhere on the train and couldn't find you! Oh, we've been so worried!" Concerned brown eyes scrutinized him carefully.

"My apologies, Hermione." The smooth, cool tone of his voice startled her. It was only now that she recognized the change in her friend. He had always been somewhat reserved, like there was something hidden under layers of emotional barriers. Whereas now she could see quite clearly what had lain beneath the surface, Hermione was still not able to identify it.

"How was your summer? You didn't respond to any letters." Something flashed in his eyes, too fast to be recognizable.

"It was fine." He said, his words carefree. "My relatives behaved after the Order's warning. I had a calm, although boring summer." A small barely noticeable smile graced his face, not reaching his eyes. He looked around, turning towards the direction of Ron, who had remained unusually silent throughout the exchange. "I presume your summer went well?" His eyebrow arched in an eerie resemblance of their most hated teacher. It was clearly an attempt to change the path of the conversation, but neither Ron nor Hermione seemed to acknowledge this, as Ron began to ramble about the latest news in Quidditch. The conversation remained smooth, with Harry leading his friends around the more delicate topics. A sound interrupted Ron in the middle of his most interesting story. At the teacher's table, Professor Dumbledore stood up, clearly intending to speak to the school population. Vaguely, Harry noticed that the seat of the Defense Professor was vacant. Blue, twinkling eyes surveyed the anxious students. They met cold emerald ones and paused for a moment, but looked quickly away, although without being able to contain the worry that had been there since Harry came into the hall.

"Welcome, welcome to another wonderful year at Hogwarts! There are a few announcements that have to be made. Firstly, the Forbidden Forest is, as its name says, forbidden." He glanced at the Gryffindor table, his eyes resting on Harry and his friends. Hermione blushed, while Ron reddened, only Harry remained staring into the Headmaster's eyes. "Secondly, all products of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes are banned from the school. If anyone has the urge to see the list of forbidden objects, please contact our caretaker, Argus Filch, for further information. And last but not least, we have a new DADA teacher this year." Students looked around them, some fearfully, others apprehensively. It was a known fact that the position was a cursed one. "It seems to me as if our Defense teacher is a bit late. I…" but he stopped abruptly.

He had almost no warning, no time to prepare himself for what was to come. Harry's eyes narrowed as he felt a presence behind him, accompanied by a flare of magic and a breaking of air. He was a blur. Pushing Hermione to the side, he fell down, barely avoiding a blue light, that would have hit him otherwise. It took the rest of the hall some moments to really comprehend the position their savior had himself in. He stood a bit crouched, a silver dagger and his wand at the throat of the attacker. His eyes were narrowed, the only indication that he was displeased on his impassive face. The attacker was a tall man, probably in his mid-thirties and quite attractive with shaggy blonde hair and brown eyes. He also had his wand pressed against Harry's throat.

A loud cough could be heard behind them, but neither the attacker nor Harry turned, instead looking at each other, their eyes locked in a silent battle.

"I have the pleasure of introducing your new DADA professor to you. This is Professor Hadrian Conrad." A stupefied silence came over the hall. No one quite believed what they had heard.

A corner of Conrad's mouth stretched into a lazy grin.

"Ten points to Gryffindor for excellent reflexes...Mr. Potter."

The youth's lips twitched for a moment before he slowly lowered his weapons, patiently waiting for Conrad to lower his. With a quick movement his dagger disappeared in his robes, while his wand was hanging by his side. Harry made no move to sit down. A questioning look was shot towards him, but he ignored everyone else.

"After you, Professor." He motioned with his hand towards the head table, receiving a small smile in return.

As Conrad swept towards the other teachers, he gave a tiny nod to the young Gryffindor. Eerie green eyes followed his every movement.

* * *

Cold. That's what it was. Cold. Simply and undeniably cold. He had always been cold, not worthy, perhaps, to have warmth or heat cursing through him. Of course, he could pretend to be normal, not forsaken by those who should have been the closest to him. But hey, life is cruel and you never get what you want.

His laugh resonated in the darkness of the hallway. It was time to get back to the Tower. No sense in worrying his friends. He had, after all, everything he needed. A book, covered in dark leather, disappeared in the folds of his robes.

* * *

It was probably the only place where Albus Dumbledore could find peace, a sanctuary from the burdens of responsibility. The old, battered furniture in its faded burgundy color was illuminated by the dying embers of the fire. There were no portraits here, only a few windows, not seen from the outside but with a magnificent view of the lake.

He remembered too well how he sat there, staring into the fire after that fateful day when the Potters had been killed. While Lily had been never fond of her sister- he cringed as some of those stories came to his mind- giving Harry to Petunia was the only possible solution after Sirius went to Azkaban. Then, after Harry came to Hogwarts he seemed to be well enough, made friends and confronted Tom, although Albus had never wished him to get into these situations. A bloody, battle weary second year Harry appeared before his inner eye, asking whether Gryffindor was the House he belonged into. Albus hadn't lied when he told him that it is our choices that make us who we are. From this point on he saw how Harry Potter grew with each year, finding happiness and going up against all odds.

_But he's changed, hasn't he?_

The confrontation between Harry and Hadrian had him worried. Hadrian Conrad was a friend, who would be able to help Harry prepare for any more disasters that may occure.

_Will occure._

The reaction time with which Harry faced his attacker was inhuman. How was this possible?

_I must tell the others to look out for anything strange around Harry. Something changed and I do not know if it's for the better or worse._

With a sigh Albus Dumbledore rose and silently left his sanctuary, dreading and welcoming all the same the things to come.

* * *

_Blood magic is perhaps more dangerous than any other kind, for blood is our essence, magic is in our veins. Be warned, you, who dare to wander into this field of power, that Blood magic is not only powerful but extremly volatile. One little mistake and you will find yourself ceasing to exist. So heed my warning and do not continue in this study if you're not entirely determined._

_Blood magic can make you faster, stronger and better but many have lost their sanity, soul or life for this power.The only way to come out of this with your being intact is to become a Blood Mage.

* * *

_

Darkness surrounded the being, not human, for one couldn't call _it_ a man, as it stood and walked towards the window. A hollow, empty landscape presented itself to him. Sometimes, in those rare moments of sanity, he wished that he hadn't gone down this way, hadn't made the choices he did. But these thoughts were gone almost as fast as they came. Would another make the same mistakes? He felt the agony, the falling into abyss, the separation. It would be easier if he did and then there would be no one who could stand in his way towards world domination.


	3. Chapter 2

**Sins of the Survivor**

_Disclaimer:_ Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.

_A/N: _It's been a while since I posted but I'm finally on vacation so I hope to write more. Have fun reading and review. I'd like to know what you think about this fic.

**Chapter2**

**The Return**

It was the first day of classes and neither teachers nor students had yet awakened. Only some lonely creatures of the night were roaming through the halls. One such creature was the feared and probably infamous Potions master and professor, Severus Snape. He had not always been a solitary person but circumstance and fate had forced him to be one. In his childhood it was the isolation from his family. His mother, while not loving him, had always had some kind of mutual agreement with him. And well, his father, or better yet, the man who fathered him had been an utter bastard. May he rot in hell. Severus had hated his father and that was probably one of the reasons why he ended up with the Death Eaters. Later, after he joined the light Albus Dumbledore became something of a father to him, more of a father than his biological one. Their relationship had strengthened and his friendship with Minerva MacGonagall, who due to her Gryffindor stubbornness had not let herself be frightened by him and saw through his defences, had blossomed. He loved walking early through the corridors of Hogwarts. Contrary to popular belief, he had a heart and cared very much for Hogwarts and its inhabitants. It was probably one of these reasons why he didn't turn, when he spotted a dark figure walking towards him.

The figure stopped two meters in front of him. Dawn hadn't started yet, so soft moonlight, barely reaching the person in the shadows, shone through the windows. Severus recognized the teenager standing before him right away. Harry Potter. This student was the last one he thought he would meet- not that he expected to meet anyone. Seeing him now was disturbing.

Long black hair flowed messily down his shoulders, not unlike the late Black heir, pale skin glittered under soft moonlight and shielded emerald eyes looked at him. They were guarded, so tightly controlled, that Severus had to ask himself what lay behind them. For every other person young Potter would have looked like an eternal being, some mysterious creature, which had been confused and ended up in a place it didn't belong to.

Suddenly, he realized, Harry Potter looked very much like a Slytherin.

He was interrupted in his musings by the soft spoken tone of his pupil.

"Good morning, Professor." It was a large contrast to the behaviour of last year. In the place of the angry teen stood a calm, perhaps even eerily calm, young man. Something deep inside Severus shuddered.

"Mr. Potter," he drawled "I must say this is certainly a surprise." He used his normal voice, which meant sarcastic and hateful but it didn't seem to have any effect on the young man. Instead he only smiled, a slightly ironic tint to it.

"I think this time of the day is the best, Professor." The youth turned towards the window, his eyes gazing beyond the obvious, beyond everything normal and settled on a place only he knew of. "When the darkness of night is at its peak, right before dawn, the hunters make their last kill." His voice sounded strange, as if he wasn't speaking to Severus.

_And he probably isn't._ The Potions Master shivered. _What lies in the dark depths of your soul, Harry Potter? _

"Indeed." The Professor didn't really know how to act around his most despised student. "But that doesn't change the fact that you are not supposed to be here." Snape sneered, clearly trying to overcome this strange feeling that gripped him while in the presence of Harry Potter.

The son of his childhood enemy smiled, his smile having a sort of grim overtone. "Perhaps. But I'm still there, ain't I, professor?"

"Five points for your cheek Potter. And another five for the blatant disregard of rules and people that are here to protect you. You aren't the one fighting this war and look how you treat those who sacrifice their lives for you." Severus barked, not really meaning what he said but nonetheless trying to sound malicious. It wouldn't do to loose his touch or reputation.

The youth's smile only widened.

"There are many ways to fight this war. Some roles are simply more obvious than others." With that he began walking again, passing his professor without waiting for a dismissal. "Una salus victus, professor." He whispered.

_Only one victory. Only one chance._

It was a very thoughtful potions professor, who stared after his least favourite student. A student, who disappeared in the dim light of morning.

_And I didn't even take enough points off him._

* * *

Sweat poured down his body as he balanced on the small platform, briefly concentrating and then making a backwards somersault, while slashing with one of his daggers, and finally landing on another hovering platform. In this place, his sanctuary, he was free to do what he needed to. Here he didn't have to pretend to not be involved in the war. A war which concerned mostly him and Tom Riddle.

Tom Riddle. He snorted.

Such a man was not worthy of the Slytherin blood or his name. He was a disgrace to everything that stood for honour and integrity. Riddle had corrupted the basilisk, a being there to protect the school, not destroy it. Yes, Riddle had to be killed. He would not allow this blood to be disgraced. He, Harry Potter, would redeem the Slytherin name. Soon, it would be ready. Soon he would be ready to act and then the world would be disillusioned of the lies and deceits that had been there for almost thousand years.

The youth smirked, his head falling back as a laugh, triumphant and victorious, escaped him.

* * *

It was 7.30, really too early for students, no matter how dedicated they were. So it was especially surprising, if not even strange, to see one Harry Potter sitting at the Gryffindor table eating calmly.

The Great Hall was practically empty, only some lonely Ravenclaws and one or two quiet Slytherins were there. Most of the staff hadn't yet arrived, preferring to eat later or in privat.

He sighed. It would be difficult to accomplish, some would say even impossible but he was not one to give up that easily. The name of Potter had great shame written over it. For many hundreds of years the name of Potter stood for the light, for the righteous, infallible light. Only few knew the real history of the Potters, the cruel doings and shameful acts of the members of this ancient house.

_But I will redeem those deeds. The House of Potter is misguided and converted to believe in the ultimate light. I will shed the shadow of reality on these beliefs._

A few more pupils entered the Great Hall. In half an hour it would be almost totally filled. He saw the headmaster coming through the side entrance and pausing as their eyes met. The light blue twinkling stars held questions, things that he couldn't answer. Not yet, at least. There would be a time when everything came to light but then, it would be too late to change his actions. Harry knew that Albus Dumbledore would have thought it too dangerous to risk and maybe he was right. The youth gave a mysterious smile, both hoping to catch the man he thought of as a grandfather off guard and to enforce his new image. It was crucial to give the world something to ponder, to talk and to speculate about. This would throw them off. They would not think further than necessary. Something he desperately needed if his plan should work.

As he began to eat again, a hoarse bird cry startled him. Looking up Harry saw a lonely magnificent black raven flying to him. He recognized him immediately. This was something he had been waiting for. With quick hands he took the letter and opened it in front of curious eyes. It didn't bother him, as he was used to it and he was far too excited to care.

_Dear Mr. P_

_I have the item you wanted. Transfer the decided sum to the usual account. _

_I will have it delivered to you by Friday._

_Rakken T._

_PS: Look out for the Temps. Someone's getting nervous over here._

With a silent charm the letter was burning under the desk. Friday. Everything would begin Friday night. Rakken was one of the most important people in his information network. He had begun to assemble it after the end of fourth year, as he realized that there would be no chance of not meeting Voldemort again. Harry Potter had, despite popular belief, a great will to survive and no problems to do anything to reach this goal.

_Damn it, I really should have been in Slytherin._

He smirked, his eyes shining cunningly. He was brought out of his musings by Professor MacGonagall arriving. Her lips were in a straight line, normal for the strict professor, but her eyes reflected concern. She was obviously distressed about his change of behaviour.

"The headmaster wishes to talk to you about your choice of courses. Meet him after breakfast in his office." She turned to leave but stopped at the last moment. "Are you well, Mr. Potter?"

He only smiled in return. "I'm ok, professor. Never been better." They were interrupted by his friends arriving and sitting down next to him. As the transfiguration professor excused herself, Ron couldn't contain his curiosity anymore.

"Well, out with it, mate! Why've you been so bloody distant since we came back? It isn't like you!" Ron blurted out.

"Ron! You insensitive idiot!" This, of course, came from Hermione, who hit him on the head.

"Hey!" Ron rubbed the spot she hit but turned to look at his best friend, still waiting for an answer.

Harry sighed. He couldn't tell them anything. It would ruin his plans if he did and he was sure that Ron, at least, wouldn't understand why and what he did. Although he didn't like to admit it, his friend was too prejudiced to really recognize and accept the situation. He would be raging before Harry could explain. His head turned to Hermione. He loved her dearly. She was the sister he never had but even with her intelligence she would most likely, _surely, _object to what he wanted to do.

So he played the only card he had left. A very good card and partly true, even if it was not his real reason.

He sighed to strengthen his explanation.

"I…it is nothing…" He purposely looked away from his friends, sadness and guilt written over his face, but seemed to relent under the stares of Ron and Hermione. "It's Sirius." His friends exchanged a glance, now clearly guilty looking. "He made me his heir and I… I'm not really that comfortable to have his money, you know. But if I hadn't taken it, it would've gone to Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange." The last bit was said with barely disguised malice. "I couldn't let that happen." His shoulders slumped and a dim film came over his eyes, as if he held back tears.

His little speech had the desired effect. Hermione jumped to console him.

"Oh, Harry! It isn't your fault! You did the right thing. Sirius would have wanted you to be happy and not to mourn him." Her voice was full of compassion and concern and for a moment Harry felt remorse for lying to his friends but it quickly vanished as he thought about his purpose, his goal.

"Yeah, mate! Don't let them put you down. We'll get those slimy Death Eaters!" the voice of Ron piped up, obviously guilty for what he said.

Absently, as if deep in thought Harry excused himself.

"You guys, excuse me, but I've got to head over to Dumbledore's office. He wants to talk about my choice for classes and I have to do something before I go there." He got his bag and walked calmly out of the hall. After being sure that no one saw him, a slow smirk came to his face. Damn, he was good.

* * *

The headmaster's office was exactly the same as the year before. Various, strange objects were sitting on his desk and shelves while portraits were chatting away. Behind his desk in a plush, comfortable chair was the headmaster sucking on his lemon drops and speaking softly with Phineas Nigellus. The former Slytherin headmaster was one of his few real advisors, who had really good ideas and Albus relied heavily on his portrait friend.

_Even if his Slytherin sarcasm is sometimes too much._

The former headmaster saw much and sometimes just because he had been a Slytherin, he could see and hear more than the current headmaster. A little globe warned him that Harry was coming up. All portraits stilled and Albus leaned back into his chair. He didn't quite know how to handle the youth. Harry Potter was in the last few days very different to the years before and the old mage wanted to know why.

As the door opened, Albus got the first real good look at Harry Potter. His hair was longer, a lot longer and he looked strangely enough nothing like his father. No, he really reminded him of his godfather, Sirius, and not for the first time the old headmaster wondered, if Sirius didn't do more than simply taking the duties of godfather. The emerald green eyes shone brightly in the dim light of his office, powerful but at the same time having a certain type of added weight to them. He held himself with an elegance that was rare in such a young man.

"Headmaster." The youth nodded to him in greeting. Seating himself, sharp, knowing eyes stared at him.

"Harry." Albus smiled." How was your summer?" His smile turned compassionate as the youth hung his head, his hair falling into his face and thus shielding him from curious eyes.

"I…" he seemed hesitant to answer the headmaster but then relented. "I've got a lot on my mind: the prophecy, Voldemort and…Sirius." He finished in a whisper, clearly not wanting to speak about it.

Albus let the subject fall. He was still feeling guilty about the whole Department of Mystery thing. It was partly his fault because he hadn't told Harry the reason why he shouldn't go there.

With visible effort he plastered a smile on his face.

"Very well. We should talk about your choice for classes." He rummaged through some papers and took a sheet out. "You only took DADA, charms, transfiguration, potions and surprisingly ancient runes. You do know that you're not allowed to take this class, as you haven't been attending it the last two years." Albus watched as a quiet, mysterious smile came to his face. He reached into his bag and took something out. An official looking piece of paper, as it seemed.

"This is the official affirmation that I'm able to keep up with the rest of class and my ancient runes' O.W.L." And it was official. The document was sporting an O+ with 100 points. Albus raised an eyebrow. He hadn't known about this. When and where had Harry done this and how exactly?

As if reading his thoughts the youth answered.

"After acknowledging the fact that Divination was totally useless, I turned privately to Ancient Runes. I found the subject quite fascinating and made a request with a tester from the ministry last year at the O.W.L.s. He was quite friendly and allowed me to take the O.W.L.s separately after the class took theirs." A smug look crossed his face but vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.

"Why haven't you told me?" It was a simple question but had probably more meaning to it than everything else.

"It didn't come up and you we weren't really close last year." The youth shrugged, as if not really knowing what to tell him. "Is that all?"

"Yes. You may go." Before Harry had a chance to open the door, he added "Please remember that my door is always open to you." Harry nodded but didn't turn around. After the door closed, a voice startled him from behind.

"Well, well, well. Didn't think that he had it in him." Albus turned and saw Phineas smirking.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked curiously. He himself hadn't noticed anything strange during his talk with Harry.

"It's obvious that you aren't a Slytherin." He snorted. _"That, _my dear friend, was deceiving done by a Slytherin mind." After seeing the confused expression of the headmaster, he decided to elaborate. "When he told you about Sirius I saw his eyes. He wasn't really that sad or shocked, even though he held a certain sadness in him. You were played and you were played really well."

Shocked eyes saw up to him as an amused laugh rang through the room.

"The boy's in the wrong house!"

* * *

The city of Rome was thriving with life, tourists walking through the streets and sightseeing, for Rome was truly a magnificent city. Civilizations of old left many things behind, both great and dangerous but nothing of this concerned the ancient order situated under the Vatican. Like everything in this city, they were old. The first roots had been with the ancient Romans but it really started with the muggle templar, soon splitting into another fraction. This was the holy headquarters of the light. The holy, almighty light.

"Report." An old voice said, clearly coming from the hooded figure in front of the glowing orb. Another figure was seen in it, kneeling before the other, dressed in the same white and gold robe as the obvious leader.

"I am not sure if he is the one, Great Magister. He has the reputation of being from the light but there are some gifts in him that only our great foe had. I need more time to determine if he is safe."

The Great Magister nodded.

"Make completely sure. We do not know how many powers Tom Riddle transferred or if he is the one. But if you misjudge him, then it could very well mean the end of our order."

"Yes, Great Magister. I will do as you command."

The man nodded approvingly.

"We cannot allow anyone to take up Salazar Slytherin's work." As the light in the globe vanished, the Great Magister turned to the shadows.

"I want you to speak to our spies in the ministry. It's time to do something about this entire situation. I've got the feeling that not everything is as it seems." The person in the shadows nodded and walked out, his glaringly white robes swishing imperiously behind him.

* * *

The chamber was lit only sparsely, the resulting shadows giving an even stranger atmosphere to the ritual chamber. He had been very lucky, when he found it. There were not many ritual chambers in the wizarding world that were not restricted or somehow controlled. Only the old families had those or the ministry. Many rituals were frowned upon, even hated and deemed as dark, because they gave the ones who did a ritual extra strength or power. So he really thanked the gods that Salazar Slytherin was smart enough to incorporate this into his chambers.

Careful and delicate runes were written all over his body, blood glowing in an eerie red colour. As he kneeled he began to chant while reaching into his inner being and bringing the magic into the runes. He took the ritual knife, emeralds and silver snakes embedded into it, and cut his hand.

The chanting grew until finally the whole chamber shook. A silvery light gathered in the chamber, right before him.

"Do you deem me worthy of your bloodline, Lord of the Snakes?" he asked, knowing that this was the final, the crucial moment in his life.

It didn't surprise him much that the soul, for that was what it was, spoke to him.

"You, who are from the cursed bloodline, know what your ancestors did?" It questioned and then passed through him, cleaning him and looking at his intentions.

"Yes. I am ashamed of their deeds."

"Do you swear to follow the oath made so long ago to bring revenge to the cursed?" It passed through him again.

"Yes. I swear."

"Do you swear that your former bloodline, now barely in you, will keep their allegiance to the aims of the bloodline of the snakes?" The energy passed through him.

"Yes. I swear."

"Will you honor your new name and bloodline, even though many will not know your heritage?"

"I will." The energy around them built, a strange song filling the air.

"Do you take the name and bloodline of Slytherin and swear to take revenge on its foes?"

The silvery energy twisted into a man, his proud eyes shining in the shadows, knowing that his oath would be fulfilled, knowing that a new lord would rise in his name and tell what history did not show.

"I do." The energies exploded, filling the chamber and circling the kneeling figure.

A sly smile came to both faces.

"Then I welcome you to the world of survival. May our bloodline give you strength in your quest, Lord of Slytherin."

And the heavens sang a song of rejoice and the earth trembled by acknowledging the powers of change. The Lord of Blood, the Lord of Snakes, the Lord of Cunning had returned.

And no one would stand in the way of the Lord Slytherin.

* * *

**Well, it seems as if things are starting to move. I hope you liked it. As mentioned above, I'll try to write more.**

**Chi**


	4. Chapter 3

**Sins of the Survivor**

_Disclaimer:_ Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.

_A/N: _So tell me, what do you think?

**Chapter3**

**Legacy of a Bloodline**

_I knew that it couldn't last, knew that it was too good to be true but I hoped. I hoped that they would let me and my family be. I should have known better. They are full of hate, particularly for my bloodline. So strong in their belief of the ultimate light, that they disregard everything else. Yesterday was the beginning of the school year. I knew right then that the Templar had sent their spies. I see it even now. They will try to discriminate me and I fear that many will turn from me. But if I fall, there will be others. The Blood Mages will not die._

* * *

His breathing was even, silent and calm. The dark cloak shielded him from curious eyes, as he made his way through Diagon Alley. It was early morning, so not many people were seen wandering the streets. But those who did were careful to not step into the dark figure's way. The massive building of Gringotts was looming over him, standing tall and safe because of the magic of thousands of years. He entered quickly, heading to the counter down the hall.

The goblin regarded him with disdain.

"Yes, sir?" The voice asked rudely.

Cold green eyes looked at him, clearly displeased with the attitude that the goblin displayed.

"I want access to vault 13." As the goblin starred incredulously at the man, whose deep voice was as chilling as his eyes, the man demanded again. "Now."

"No one is allowed access, except the Lord himself." But before he could say anything else, the man thrust his hand forward. An elegant, silver band with a delicate green emerald was on his right hand.

"I trust this to be enough." The goblin's eyes widened and his demeanor changed immediately.

"Of course, my Lord." He bowed deeply, thus gaining some strange stares from various people.

As the goblin led him towards the carts, many people gave him partly suspicious and partly curious looks. He knew that by the next twenty minutes different fractions of the wizarding world would know about a highly suspicious individual entering Gringotts.

The ride down was even longer than usually. His new family vault was one of the very first to be opened in the goblin bank. The massive door was delicately decorated. Elegant silver snakes were moving over the surface with the Crest of Slytherin and the rune for blood glowing eerily as the new Lord moved closer.

"_I am the Lord Slytherin, acknowledged and taken by the Great Lord Salazar Slytherin himself. Open for your Lord." _The hissing sounds of parseltounge came easily to him.

The vault door opened in silence, revealing the dark depths of the Slytherin vault. It would be a long time until the new Lord Slytherin came out of the vault, a sly smirk on his face.

* * *

The shadow glided through the dark street, sliding closer and closer to its aim. Just a little longer, a little closer and the ecstasy, the first step of many would be taken. Yes, after tonight people would talk and it would serve his purpose. The dark house was Antonin Dolohov's. Not that it mattered, as every Death Eater would have been acceptable but he had to settle some things with this particular one.

The door opened silently, not making any noise to alert the soon to be dead man. Moonlight shone brightly through the large windows but even this slight luminescence wasn't enough for the figure to be seen. The house was utterly still. Not surprising, really, as it was a safe house for the escaped Death Eater.

He smirked as he saw Dolohov reading by the fireplace. Too easy. With the quickness of an experienced assassin, the concealed dagger was at Dolohov's throat. The Death Eater tried to fight but the sharp edge of the weapon cut further into his skin.

"Hello, Dolohov." He hissed near Dolohov's ear, his breath touching the Death Eater and sending shivers down his spine.

"Who are you?" his voice was hoarse. The voice behind him sounded menacing. He knew that he wouldn't get out of this easily- if at all.

"That should not interest you, my dear little Death Eater. Really, Tom's become obsessed with death, hasn't he? Voldemort. Flight from death. Death Eater. No imagination at all and such a man- although he's rather a _thing_ than a man, wouldn't you say? - claims to be heir to Salazar Slytherin!" The voice continued mockingly, although there still was a certain edge to it which stated that he shouldn't be underestimated.

"Claims to be?" And he realized at once that this was the question the person behind him wanted to be asked.

"Yes, claims to be." His voice turned silky and the Death Eater shivered again. "You see, I have this little problem. Tom's crazy, went nuts, is off the wall…Jada, jada, jada,… and the Slytherin line has to continue. It can't continue with a psychotic, self-destructing son of a bitch at its head, so I took the initiative- yes, yes, I know, aren't I brilliant?-" the man behind him chuckled lightly, the dagger shifting along his throat. He seemed crazy and eccentric but Dolohov knew that it was all a façade. It couldn't be anything else for this assassin, or whoever he was, had found him and caught him unawares. "You agree, don't you, my friend?"

Dolohov tried to nod but found himself unable to. "Ah, ah, ah, you really wouldn't want to get even more Silver Naga poison into your system." The Death Eater's eyes widened, filling with fear and despair. This poison was deadly, slow working but deadly. He was as good as dead.

"Where was I? Ah, yes. I took the initiative and made myself the Lord of Slytherin, with Salazar's approval, of course. A little ritual here, a bit of blood magic there and everything's alright." Dolohov's eyes widened further. "Well, almost." And this time the voice turned cold, serious and utterly malicious. His heart began to beat in fear. Fear of what would come. Fear of death for he knew that nothing would save him from this man. He had recognized this ruthlessness almost at once, knew it from himself, from when he killed. To hear it now, targeted at himself chilled him to the bones.

"You see, I still have a little problem. I have power, I have the bloodline, the cunning, the opportunity but what I don't have, " here his tone lowered, a caressing whisper in the dark. " is the attention. And here you enter my game. You will be my message to Voldemort, Dumbledore and my real enemies. They will recognize that the Line of Slytherin stands proud and powerful before them and it will be I, who brings honor to this name."

Stony, chilling silence met this statement. The poison was already doing its work. He knew that he would be dead in just a few minutes.

"I can give you information. I can be of use to you if you let me live." Dolohov stumbled over the words, desperate for a chance, any chance, to save himself.

A deep chuckle was his answer.

"I already have everything I need. Your occlumency shields are pathetic." The realization that there wasn't anything he could give the assassin let his hope to survive die.

"And now say goodbye."

The last thing Antonin Dolohov saw were Avada Kedavra green eyes.

* * *

It was early evening as Severus Snape walked through the door to the staff room. He had always been annoyed with staff meetings, particularly because he seemed to always sit between Trelawny and Binns. Even MacGonagall would become annoyed with these sitting conditions. This time the staff meeting would be especially long, as it was the first week that school started. The teachers would speak about problems or unusual things and at the end of it, those who were in the order would stay back and talk some more.

Most of the teachers were already there, though not all. The staff meeting began soon after the Potions Master seated himself, this time thankfully not anywhere near the two most loathsome professors. Dumbledore had come unusually late, he noted, something that had never happened before. The wise professor had been reading a paper with a concerned look on his face.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled but something was missing, something essential.

"Well, my friends," Dumbledore began, smiling despite having a bad mood. "I hope you had a good week. I know how anxious you all were to teach again." Snape snorted, while a few others threw glares at the headmaster. He, as usual, only smiled at them, not bothered the least by the reactions of his professors. He clapped his hands together, the perfect image of a favorite uncle or grandfather who was overjoyed to see his children. "Let's get on with this." But before anybody could say anything, he rummaged in his pockets and pulled some lemon drops out. The table groaned simultaneously as they saw the treats. "Someone care for a lemon drop? I hear that they are especially good this year." His question only met shaking heads.

"No? Well, let's get on with this. Severus, you first." The teacher nodded.

"The new first years have become part of Slytherin house. There were no real problems, beside a few cases of homesickness. There will be some inner house conflicts in the next month or so, as the seventh years graduated and many of them were leaders of the power fractions. I believe that everything will stabilize soon."

Minerva MacGonagall shook her head; disbelieve written plain over her face.

"I will never understand how you deal with this. Children should not have _power fractions!_ That's just so…" She couldn't find the words and before her triad could continue, Severus interrupted.

"And that's precisely why _I _am the Head of Slytherin House and not you." Here he paused, completely aware that all eyes were on him and that Dumbledore's twinkled even brighter than usual. "Slytherins are cunning and manipulative. They will do everything to survive and in order to achieve this foremost objective, power is essential. In conclusion Slytherin House has to ascertain the social hierarchy in the first few weeks." He looked around him, noting the astonished faces of his fellow colleagues. "You are not Slytherins, so you do not know how we think or react. This is why I tell you to be cautious in the next few weeks. They have to deal with this on their own. I ask you to not go between that."

"You never told us about what went on in Slytherin House in the first few weeks before, Severus. So why did you tell us now?" asked Professor Filius Flitwick. He was truly intrigued to learn of the delicate structures of Slytherin House, as would every red-blooded Ravenclaw.

Severus Snape sighed.

"The problem is that this year, especially, the power struggle will be brutal and probably extremely violent. Darien Malfoy, the brother of Draco, has graduated. He was the leader of the most powerful fraction in Slytherin. I, as his godfather, have influenced him more than his father and convinced him to pursue a more… satisfying career than his father. This leaves Slytherin in a major power struggle. The former leader is gone and he did not hold the same beliefs as Draco, who wants to ascend. You should watch out for Rhade Moon and Blaise Zabini. They were the 2ICs of the fraction where Darien was leader. One half of Slytherin is on the side of Zabini and Moon and the other is with Draco. It will all escalate if we are not careful but please, do not go between these confrontations, as they will be more brutal and perhaps in an environment where we can't control the severity of the situation. Just watch out." A tense silence built in the staff room, only occasionally interrupted by Albus Dumbledore sucking on a lemon drop.

"I really can't imagine what you deal with, Severus! Deceptions in deceptions and in deceptions! I'm just happy that my Hufflepuffs' don't have political struggles!" Pomona Sprout finally exclaimed.

"I agree, Pomona. Thankfully, Gryffindors are more bold and straight-forward than adept at deceptions." The Gryffindor Head of House smiled at that. "Although I sometimes think that some of them are at least as bad as yours, or worse for that matter." Knowing exactly who the troublemakers were, many teachers began to chuckle quietly.

"That was certainly a very informative report. Thank you, Severus." The headmaster nodded in his direction. He turned to his 2IC. "Minerva."

The woman unconsciously straightened, righted her glasses and spoke in a no-nonsense voice.

"My new lions have been integrated almost at once. The older students are back and seem to be on their normal behavior, although I'm rather concerned about Mr. Potter." She paused, waiting for some kind of reaction.

"Harry? Is he alright?" Albus leaned forward, clearly concerned for the pupil he thought of as a grandson.

His deputy headmistress seemed to struggle with her answer.

"It's not that he isn't alright. He seems to be well. It's just that his behavior changed. His school work rivals Ms. Grangers. His answers are precise and good but there is something about him that is harder…colder, one might say." She sighed, clearly dissatisfied with her inability to describe what she saw. "He seems normal but there's always something there, which I can't really grasp."

Filius nodded.

"I noticed it too but I also cannot say what it is."

The Ancient Runes' Professor spoke up.

"He's a genius when it comes to Ancient Runes. I dare even say that he will gain mastery in this subject. His rune chains are flawless."

Contemplative silence reigned over the staff.

"Although I'm…delighted", disgust seeped through his words," to talk about Gryffindor's Golden Boy and his mental incapability, we should continue before there will be murder and manslaughter out there."

Albus chuckled at the sarcasm.

"I would not have said this in these words, but Severus is right." He turned to the Hufflepuff Head of House. "Pomona."

The kind woman smiled brightly, her odd hat sitting squarely on her head. She was, in the general sense, quite nice, though to some people mostly annoying.

"Everything's alright. There's only one Hufflepuff who has problems adjusting. Tomas Jackson. He's a bit aggressive and headstrong. I fear that he will antagonize his fellow classmates too much." Her voice grew concerned.

Severus snorted.

"Maybe he's just in the wrong house. Arrogant, bold and no self-preservation. He should have been in Gryffindor." Minerva shot him a glare but he ignored it in true Slytherin fashion.

"Now, now, my dear boy. There's no need for that." Albus said condemningly, though his eyes twinkled.

Deciding to intervene, Filius Flitwick began his report.

"My Ravenclaws are good. The young minds of the new first years are really innovative but I fear that we have some pranksters on our hands. Ewan McAllister and Sebastian Blarius are the next Weasley twins." Groans could be heard around the table. The escapades of the two Weasleys would never be forgotten.

"Well, is there anything else?" The professors shook their heads. As everyone stood to leave, the headmaster spoke again.

"Would the Heads of Houses stay for a while longer?" The teachers nodded and followed him into a side room, a lot more cozy than the staff room. Each of them were members of the Order of the Phoenix and completely loyal to the light. They seated themselves in front of the fireplace and looked expectantly at their leader and friend.

"I'm concerned about Harry Potter." He looked at each of his fellow order members, noting their serious faces. "Did any of you notice something different?"

"Well," Minerva began, a frown on her face." I usually change into my animagus form and make a control stroll through the dorms. Everyone was asleep, except for one. Harry sat on the windowsill, looking out into the night and rubbing his hands- he had scars on them, recent scars." She reluctantly admitted.

Worry was clearly written on their faces.

"Do you…do you think he cuts himself?" It was not often that the teachers of Hogwarts had seen Albus Dumbledore so worried or out-of-control. They knew that he was close to Harry Potter but nobody would have thought him that close.

"I don't know. It…it could be possible but I hope not."

Severus shook his head.

"No, I do not think that he is cutting himself. It would not fit the Harry Potter I met that first morning." The others looked puzzled at him. "Ah, yes, I haven't shown you yet. I wanted to bring it up in the next order meeting." He put his wand to his forehead and pulled a beautiful, white string of memory out. Quickly, and with the experience of someone who had done this many times, he put it in the hidden pensive, stationed in the elaborate carvings of the fireplace. It glowed softly and the room transformed itself, becoming darker and taking over the memory of a strange incident.

_Severus Snape was patrolling again, his agile steps resonating silently in the dark hallway. Soft moonlight shone through the occasional window, although not able to dispatch of the darkness. It seemed to be a normal patrol, had there not been a figure walking towards him from the darkness of Hogwarts._

_The figure stopped two meters in front of him. Dawn hadn't started yet, so soft moonlight, barely reaching the person in the shadows, shone through the windows. Severus recognized the teenager standing before him right away. Harry Potter. This student was the last one he thought he would meet- not that he expected to meet anyone. Seeing him now was disturbing._

The professors looked interested at Harry Potter. None of them had seen him like this. In class he would often smile calmly at them, answering questions politely but always elusively. Each and every time they saw him, a mask seemed to shift into the place that was Harry Potter and create the Boy-Who-Lived. This might have been the image closer to the real Harry.

_Long black hair flowed messily down his shoulders, not unlike the late Black heir, pale skin glittered under the soft moonlight and shielded emerald eyes looked at him. They were guarded, so tightly controlled, that Severus had to ask himself what lay behind them. For every other person young Potter would have looked like an eternal being, some mysterious creature, which had been confused and ended up in a place it didn't belong to._

"He looks so different. His behaviour in class is in exchange to this radically different." Filius said, contemplating the mystery, the riddle that had become Harry Potter.

Albus nodded.

"Yes, that would fit." As the others' heads turned to him, he continued, speaking for the first time aloud, what he had known for so long. They had all known but choose not to see it. "Harry Potter had always been able to turn events into his favor. That is his nature and I doubt that he could change it if he tried." He paused, visibly collecting his thoughts- or maybe simply trying to prolong this one moment of anticipation and regret.

_Suddenly, he realized, Harry Potter looked very much like a Slytherin._

"He is compassionate and kind but many people underestimate his resolve and his will. It is not by accident that he survived the confrontations with Tom so many times. They both have the will to survive. Whereas Tom seeks immortality, Harry's survival instinct makes him do everything to protect himself and his friends." He turned to the scene unfolding. "Even if it means fooling everyone he holds dear into believing or concentrating on something that is not true."

"_Good morning, Professor." It was a large contrast to the behaviour of last year. In the place of the angry teen stood a calm, perhaps even eerily calm, young man. Something deep inside Severus shuddered._

_"Mr. Potter," he drawled "I must say this is certainly a surprise." He used his normal voice, which meant sarcastic and hateful but it didn't seem to have any effect on the young man. Instead he only smiled a slightly ironic tint to it._

_"I think this time of the day is the best, Professor." The youth turned towards the window, his eyes gazing beyond the obvious, beyond everything normal and settled on a place only he knew. "When the darkness of night is at its peak, right before dawn, the hunters make their last kill." His voice sounded strange, as if he wasn't speaking to Severus._

"What did he mean by that?" Pomona asked, frightened by the youth's words. They made a chill run down her back. But it was not Albus that answered.

"He's playing us all, isn't he, Albus? The little bastard is playing us all!" Comprehension spoke through his voice, comprehension and admiration, for it was such an elaborate yet simple plan.

"Severus! Don't speak about my students like that!" Minerva fumed.

_"Indeed." The Professor didn't really know how to act around his most despised student. "But that doesn't change the fact that you are not supposed to be here." Snape sneered, clearly trying to overcome this strange feeling that gripped him while in the presence of Harry Potter._

"Let him be, Minerva." The headmaster nodded sadly. "It is indeed true. I fear that the poor child has gotten himself into something he dares not tell us, something essential in this war. He is turning us away, trying to placate us with false smiles and strange behavior."

_The son of his childhood enemy smiled, his smile having a sort of grim overtone. "Perhaps. But I'm still there, ain't I, professor?"_

_"Five points for your cheek Potter. And another five for the blatant disregard of rules and people that are here to protect you. You aren't the one fighting this war and look how you treat those who sacrifice their lives for you." Severus barked, not really meaning what he said but nonetheless trying to sound malicious. It wouldn't do to loose his touch or reputation._

The face of Filius Flitwick lightened up, finally understanding what Albus meant.

"But why won't he turn to us? The order knows how much he has suffered by loosing Sirius. We understand. Why won't he come to us for help. I see what he is doing. A child, despair nagging at his soul and nightmares plaguing his mind, is slowly dying. If we do not do something, he might destroy himself! We can't let him sacrifice himself in the attempt of dealing with this situation himself."

_The youth's smile only widened._

_"There are many ways to fight this war. Some roles are simply more obvious than others." With that he began walking again, passing his professor without waiting for a dismissal. "Una salus victus, professor." He whispered._

Albus Dumbledore smiled sadly as he heard the words Harry had spoken so softly. They were the same he uttered nearly sixty years ago, sealing his fate and determining his future. For he too had been the only salvation for the wizarding world, the only saviour, the only one able to bear the burden of destiny.

"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,

And breathed in the face of the foe as he pass'd." (_Lord Byron, Destruction of Sennacherib)_

"There was a time where I had to decide what I would do in order to defeat Grindelwald. The price…" he sighed, tiredly, not wanting to speak about it, for he had not spoken about it with anyone but the dead. But it was necessary, necessary for them to understand and to feel compassion and resolve. "…it was high. Perhaps too high. There was once a muggle by the name of Henry Miller. I met him briefly on my quest to defeat Grindelwald. I was young at that time, full of the need for revenge, for justice to be served. Do you know what he told me?" He saw them shaking their heads, curious about what he would say. "He said_: Every man has his own destiny: The only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him._ We can only help him along, because I think that he has decided which path to take. This is a fight and Harry Potter will stand at the front of the battle."

_**Only one victory. Only one chance.**_

_It was a very thoughtful potions professor, who stared after his least favourite student. A student, who disappeared in the dim light of morning._

"You are right, as always." Minerva sighed and rubbed her head in the process. "Harry is growing up… grown up and we can't protect him from reality."

"He doesn't need so much protection, as help and advice for the coming battles." Albus spoke sadly, regretting that his grandson in everything but blood would have to face death and cruelty. "The problem is always the possibility of a choice and he has chosen."

Silence descended upon the five teachers until it was broken by Minerva MacGonagall.

"If we're going to help him then it would be good to know why he doesn't like our new Defence Teacher."

Snape snorted.

"Well, given the fact that every DADA teacher has tried to kill, torture or maim him, I can understand his reluctance. There's finally, at least, some self-preservation in that foolish child!"

"I believe, Severus, that he always had a great amount of self-preservation but that is not the point. From his point of view every new teacher is suspicious but what have you seen, Minerva, that let you think that he doesn't like Hadrian Conrad? If I remember correctly he and James were close friends, as close as he and Sirius were. Lily and James even named their son after him. Hadrian James Potter. There's no real reason to suspect him." Albus argued.

"Maybe it's easier if I show you. After having several murderers as DADA teachers, even though this teacher is a former student, I thought it prudent to take a look at his teaching methods. This is what I saw."

_The classroom started to fill. It was vastly different from last year, various odds and ends decorating the shelves and sunlight filtering through the thick windows. It was an atmosphere of light._

_"Well, well, well, Potter. Missing your mutt yet? Dogs are such a waste of time. One should put them down. But you did that all on yourself, didn't you? I heard that he screamed…" Malfoy trailed of, seeing the icy eyes and the false, cheery smile of his nemesis._

_Harry leaned down, whispering, but everyone heard his words._

_"Tut, tut, Malfoy. Some of us could take it as an offence. But I am not a man who seeks revenge," his eyes flashed at the last word, indicating something quite different. "Do not make threats you cannot fulfil or there's the possibility that you're going to end just like where your father will end: with tortured sobs pleading for his life, while I take it from him."_

_Malfoy's eyes widened in fear. He had never seen such hidden malice in the eyes of a person- except for one. It almost seemed as if the Dark Lord was looking at him._

_"No hostilities, boys." Came a voice from behind them, disturbing their staring contest._

_"Professor Conrad." The class greeted. The man smiled at them but something in his smile set Harry on edge. He would have probably been at ease with this new teacher, had he not known what atrocities had been committed in the name of justice and right._

_The class progressed well with Conrad teaching them about light and dark magic but Harry was silent. He had been sitting with slightly narrowed eyes, noting every move of the professor._

_"Mr. Potter, you are pretty silent and everyone assured me how good you are in DADA. What do you have to say about the concept of dark magic corrupting the human being." Hadrian turned, looking questioningly at his pupil._

_The class was silent, each and every one awaiting the answer of their star pupil._

_He only smiled, somewhat crookedly, though his eyes were blank._

_"You are a fool." It was delivered with such assurance that nobody could doubt it._

_One eyebrow rose at this statement._

_"Really, Mr. Potter? Do elaborate on this, please."_

_"You, professor, are blind to the possibilities of magic. Thus you categorize it into sections, which humans created."_

_Conrad frowned, clearly displeased with what he heard._

_"I see that you do not understand, so I will give you this to think about:_

_Although praise is given to many who are without perspective, it is given with false judgment by those who have no awareness of the potential of the art._

_When you know what I mean, you will have my answer." The class stared dumbfounded at their comrade. _

_The classroom faded into thick fog and then into the cozy staff room._

"What did he mean by that?" asked Pomona and looked at her confused colleagues.

"This, my friends, is what we have to find out for I believe it to be vital to coming closer to the mystery of one Harry Potter."

They were silent again.

"Albus, when you came into the staff room, you looked worried. Is everything alright?"

Albus Dumbledore's face turned grim.

"I got a report from Alastor Moody. Antonin Dolohov has been found dead, with open throat, at a Death Eater safe house. The wards fell after his death. Someone wanted the attention of the Aurors. A message was left behind with a sentence of what I believe to be parseltounge under it, which I haven't figured out yet, and a mysterious rune over it:

_**Enemies of the Heir beware.**_

_**The Legacy has returned.**_


	5. Chapter 4

**Sins of the Survivor**

_Disclaimer:_ Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.

_A/N: _Sorry for the long wait but real life's been catching up. Replies to reviews etc. are on my author's page.

**Chapter4**

**Alliance Of Power**

"Dolohov is dead!" Severus' voice exclaimed loudly. It wasn't so much the fact that the Death Eater was dead, that bothered him but rather that someone found him in the safe house.

The others turned to him, clearly puzzled about this sudden exclamation.

"I tried to get information about the safe house but couldn't find it. Someone, I believe it to be Lucius Malfoy, said that the Dark Lord put this house under some wards that have been designed by Salazar Slytherin himself. So you see that it is highly suspicious that someone could get into it and kill Dolohov." He continued, clearly trying to put the puzzle together.

"Everything comes down to Salazar Slytherin. The message beside the corpse of Dolohov. _Enemies of the Heir Beware. The Legacy has returned._ It couldn't have been Voldemort. He wouldn't kill one of his men." Minerva concluded, clearly disturbed with the way it was going.

Albus nodded.

"Yes, that would not be his typical behavior. Whoever it is, that kills off Death Eaters, he must have some connections to Slytherin and some knowledge of parseltounge. I have no doubt that this was a personal message to Voldemort. So we have to search for someone who is a parselmouth and has a grudge against Voldemort." Filius said, his strange expression saying what he was hesitant to say.

Minerva's eyes widened, incomprehension and incredulity filling them.

"You can't be serious!" She stuttered, desperately hoping that it wouldn't be true. "You can't suspect…Harry!" She shook her head, anguish written all over her face.

"I never said that he was the assassin. He shouldn't know how to break such wards, nor should he know where to find Dolohov but I do not underestimate Harry Potter." Albus smiled ruefully, before turning his head towards Minerva. "I do not like thinking about something like that, suspecting Harry to be able, willing to murder someone but we must stay realistic. He is a parselmouth and hates Voldemort. We should keep observing him."

The flames kept playing in the fireplace, growing bigger and then retreating again. Silence met the statement of the Headmaster. It was perhaps the knowledge that Harry Potter was a possible suspect for murder. The poster boy of light, killing someone? What was the world turning into? Suddenly, the war seemed even nearer than before for it was a student of theirs that was in the middle of this battle. A battle that seemed impossible to win, as the enemy was hidden in shadow.

"I have some old volumes dated back to the time of Salazar Slytherin. It seems as if he wrote a kind of dictionary for parseltounge. Maybe I'll be able to discover what was written under the message of the assassin. We can't reject the possibility of him being Harry. We also can't forget about the message itself. It looks like the message mentions another heir of Slytherin. One, who is not Tom Riddle." Albus looked at his Potion's master, not saying anything but not needing to.

"I will look into it." As Head of Slytherin House he had some texts written by the snake founder himself. The headmaster nodded. His young friend had always been able to know what Albus wanted to tell him.

Filius hesitated, wringing his hands nervously.

"Maybe we should visit the Chamber of Secrets. It's the only place that we know is connected with Salazar Slytherin." The other four teachers stared at him. Obviously, no one had thought about doing this.

"But how can we get into the Chamber? Only a parselmouth can open it and I do not think that any of us want Mr. Potter involved in this." Pomona Sprout's voice was higher than normal. She wasn't very comfortable with this kind of things. Even in Harry Potter's second year she had a strange feeling when dealing with this young man. He had always been good with plants- not as good as Neville Longbottom was, but good enough. Every time she met him, no matter if in the halls, corridors or in class, a shiver ran down her spine.

The headmaster smiled at her, setting her at ease.

"I believe I have a recording of Harry speaking the password in parseltongue. After the incident in Slytherin's chamber I asked him to show me the entrance. I recorded his voice when he spoke the password." He grinned, looking at the astonished faces of his employees.

"You're a devious little demon, Albus." Severus smirked.

"So, shall we?"

* * *

_Nefarius Conras. The new DADA teacher. Oh, how he hated that man! After his dear brother was killed, they needed a new teacher. From the first second that he had set eyes on this man, he knew that Conras was the enemy. He had the same eyes as the ones who had killed his parents. The conflict between the Templar and the Blood Mages had been going on for centuries. Even before the ancient blood magic was invoked by the Jewish Blood Mage Jes over Jerusalem, the hate in the hearts of the Templar grew and threatened to overwhelm them. During the battles for Jerusalem many Templar had fallen. It wasn't terribly surprising that it was now that the blasted Order wanted to eliminate the descendant of the Great Egyptian Blood Mage Slyth'ar. Well, he wasn't called Salazar Slytherin for nothing. He would kill this upstart Templar if that scum provoked him._

* * *

Hadrian Conrad looked over his fifth year Gryffindor/Slytherin class. After hearing of the previous teachers the school had, it was surprising to see that not everyone in this group was as incompetent as he had thought. Ginny Weasley was one of those, who were ahead of the main part of the group. It seemed as if Harry Potter did a pretty good job in teaching. He grimaced. Harry Potter was everything James and Lily Potter were not. It was almost frightening how different their son was from what he expected. Conrad remembered with another grimace the incident in class.

_**"Mr. Potter, you are pretty silent and everyone assured me how good you are in DADA. What do you have to say about the concept of dark magic corrupting the human being." Hadrian turned, looking questioningly at his pupil.**_

_**The class was silent, each and every one awaiting the answer of their star pupil.**_

_**He only smiled, somewhat crookedly, though his eyes were blank.**_

_**"You are a fool." It was delivered with such assurance that nobody could doubt it.**_

_**One eyebrow rose at this statement.**_

_**"Really, Mr. Potter? Do elaborate on this, please."**_

_**"You, professor, are blind to the possibilities of magic. Thus you categorize it into sections, which humans created."**_

_**Conrad frowned, clearly displeased with what he heard.**_

_**"I see that you do not understand, so I will give you this to think about:**_

_**Although praise is given to many who are without perspective, it is given with false judgment by those who have no awareness of the potential of the art.**_

_**When you know what I mean, you will have my answer." The class stared dumbfounded at their comrade. **_

What did he mean by that? It was almost as if he knew Conrad's past. But the answer, he mused, was purely Slytherin, purely Blood Mage. Was the son of Lily and James a Blood Mage? He shuddered. If he truly was than there was only one possible way to stop this evil.

"Ms. Weasley, please stay after class." There was a way to find out. He loathed using it but he couldn't choose between duty and his morals. There was no choice.

* * *

The scene in front of the potions classroom was…unusual to say the least. There were ten minutes until class started and the biggest part of the class was already there, least they anger their highly explosive teacher. Some students were cowering behind braver ones. Ravenclaws looked at each other, analyzing the situation and trading potions theories. Hufflepuffs were, as always, oblivious to the suppressed tension in the corridor and chatted obliviously. Gryffindors had scowls on their faces. No doubt they cursed the headmaster to the deepest pits of hell for putting the classes together with the Slytherins. It would have been a usual day, had there not been whispered threats thrown between the Slytherins themselves.

The beautiful ice blue eyes of Blaise Zabini looked haughtily down on the scowling Draco Malfoy.

"Really, Draco-pooo, why did you even think that we would fall under your power?" She laughed cruelly as Pansy glared at her, while Malfoy reddened.

"After Damien left he left his position to us, not you. I really can't believe that _you_ are related to him. One would think that you had just one ounce of intelligence in you." She tilted her head, thinking. " But obviously everything intelligent that your parents possessed went to your brother, leaving you only with arrogance and _absolutely no cunning_." She smirked at him.

"Careful, dear Blaise, we wouldn't want to hurt his feelings." Rhade Moon spoke, though his voice was clearly amused.

"When the Dark Lord wins, he's going to kill you all! And I will laugh as you scream!" Malfoy's voice got louder, effectively gaining the attention of a few other pupils.

"Oh, Draco! To scream your allegiance to the whole of Hogwarts, the stronghold of the proverbial light side! How curiously _Gryffindor_!" This seemed to enrage Malfoy even further, making him look like a red ferret with white hair.

Rhade turned to a corner on the right side of them. It was shadowed with no one standing there, as it was situated so close to the Slytherins.

"Hey Potter! Why don't you tell us what you think?" Rhade smirked as a shadow disconnected itself from the darkness and formed the shape of one Harry Potter.

Blaise gave him an appraising look. He looked nothing like the little Gryffindor everyone said he was. Dark, silky hair fell over his face, shadowing it and giving the intense green eyes even more of a glow. A lazy smirk was on his face, his porcelain skin shone unearthly in the dim light of the dungeons. The dark robes he wore were cut perfectly, swallowing him in their black folds. The only thing that indicated his belonging to Gryffindor was the tiny crest on his arm. But even the lion looked more menacing than it was allowed to.

With a widening smirk he swept forward, only glancing fleetingly at Malfoy before settling his eyes on her. An elegant hand touched hers, brining it to his lips.

_His lips are soft. Mmmmm. Who knew that there was this incredible man under Harry Potter? _

She licked her lips and his smirk widened.

"Miss Zabini." He purred, his eyes holding hers, captivating and dancing with suppressed passion.

"Mr. Potter." She slurred, her own smirk taking on a dangerous edge.

He lifted an elegant eyebrow.

"Please, call me Hadrian or Hade. Mr. Potter is so formal." He was still holding her hand and as his breathing touched it, she shivered barely noticeable. His eyes twinkled, though.

"In this case, feel free to call me Blaise." She turned towards Rhade, introducing him. "This is Rhade Moon, a friend of mine."

They shook hands, with Blaise uttering a sigh of loss as the young Gryffindor let her hand go.

"Rhade."

"Hadrian." The nods they exchanged were of mutual respect.

In this unusual meeting they had forgotten or- and that was more likely- simply ignored Draco Malfoy. Thus the completely non-Slytherin temper of young Malfoy was called upon, leading him to exploding.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING! THIS IS **POTTER**! He's a GRYFFINDOR! Slytherins DO NOT ASSOCIATE with Gryffindors!" His balled fists flew everywhere. Apparently, Draco Malfoy was not used to being ignored. "I COMMAND YOU…"

He had gotten no further. The swift silencing charm of Rhade made him splutter in every possible direction.

"I must admit that his temper matches even that of a Gryffindor." Hadrian confessed, amused at the behaviour of the powerless Malfoy. He turned to his new acquaintances. "Is he always like that? It must be tiresome to put up with him the whole time."

"Yes." Rhade nodded. "When you have a power-hungry, psychotic brat in your house, you learn to occupy your time otherwise, while he sprouts his crazy world domination theories in the common room." He turned towards the potions classroom, the other Slytherins of their group following him.

"We've tried Exploding Snap but even that isn't loud enough to overcome his voice. It can become quite… annoying. You do not happen to know any other methods to shut him up? A silencing charm is good but you don't want to waste your energy every few minutes renewing it. Really, the boy must have been a swimmer in his former life to have such lungs!" Blaise exclaimed loudly. The only thing that told of the acting was the little smirk on her lips.

"We must speak further about this. If you would allow me to escort you to your seat?" He bowed to her, giving her his arm.

"Of course, Hadrian. It would be my pleasure." She graced him with a seducing smile.

With elegant steps they glided into the potions classroom, a terribly amused Rhade following them and several confused and unbelieving eyes staring after the strange group.

* * *

_It was_, Severus Snape mused, _probably the strangest lesson I ever had_.

As he had entered his classroom in an attempt to teach his least favourite or perhaps most intriguing class, he had not expected to have Harry Potter sitting between the two leaders of one of the fractions in Slytherin House.

_It was strange- or just utterly disturbing. In his sixteen years as teacher at Hogwarts he had never seen a Gryffindor willingly sitting in the midst of Slytherins. Especially if this Gryffindor was Harry Potter. He was lounging comfortably in his seat, while speaking with Blaise Zabini and flashing her a dangerous smirk. On his other side was Rhade Moon, looking throughout amused and speaking from time to time. The group ignored the astonished and disbelieving looks the others sent them completely._

He shook his head, snorting at the strangeness of the situation. It got even stranger as the lesson had progressed.

_He positioned himself behind Potter and his two Slytherins. Rhade and Blaise had always been competent at his craft, so it wasn't surprising that their potions were perfect. As he prepared himself to yell at Potter, he saw that his potion was also perfect. _

With one last look at the clock he gathered himself and began his long trek to the Great Hall. This day was certainly not what he had expected.

* * *

Rumours went through the rows of hungry students. And even those like Ron Weasley, who was only an eating pig when confronted with food, had some measure of understanding of what happened in potions class. At the head table a similar conversation took place. The teachers, too, had heard the rumours.

"I'll believe it, when I see it. Harry Potter is many things but this is a bit ridiculous." Minerva MacGonagall snorted. What few of the students knew, was that the transfiguration professor had a biting humour. She could be as sarcastic as their potions master.

"We will find out soon, I think." With this remark the headmaster turned his eyes to the open doors of the Great Hall.

A hushed silence fell as the little entourage entered the room. Many couldn't believe it, even though they saw it with their own eyes.

Harry Potter was in the middle of a group of Slytherins, merrily chatting away and not minding the distraught silence of the general populace. Blaise Zabini, the beautiful Slytherin ice queen, was on his arm and she was smiling. Many had tried to get into her good graces but few had accomplished this task. It was rumoured that she was as cruel and unforgiving as she was beautiful. And she was beautiful.

Dark black hair fell over her shoulders, her eyes glittering mysteriously in the light of the Great Hall. She moved with a certain, barely noticeable elegance that gave her an air of being more than one of the masses. Her Slytherin crest was displayed proudly on her well cut robes. They fitted her figure perfectly, complimenting it and giving her an even more striking appearance.

Her dear friend, Rhade Moon, walked on the other side of the Boy-Who-Lived. With copper hair and stormy grey-blue eyes, he was giving off the same elegance as the other two. His eyes were warm but something in them told everybody that happened to look closer, that it would be dangerous to come too near. A sleeping snake would only take so much before biting.

It was in silence that they continued on their way to the Slytherin table. With gentlemanly behaviour, the young Gryffindor pulled her chair out for her, before sitting himself opposite of Blaise.

"Thank you, Hadrian." Rang through the hall.

Chatter broke out as Rhade settled himself next to Hadrian.

At the head table Filius Flitwick turned towards his colleagues.

"I didn't know that his full name is Hadrian."

Minerva nodded, thoughtfully looking at her misplaced Gryffindor.

"Not many do. Lily and James decided to name him Hadrian James Potter, after our DADA professor Conrad. They had been friends while being here. The name shortened to Harry. I remember Lily saying that it was easier to have one Hadrian and one Harry." She was absently massaging her hand.

Another, larger hand covered hers. Warmth spread through her, making her smile at Albus.

"I wonder if Harry knows that he's named after one of his professors." The headmaster turned to the other teachers. "It seems as if the house rivalry is finally loosening up." He popped a lemon drop into his mouth. "Tomorrow is Hogsmeade Weekend. Hadrian, Hagrid, if you would be so kind to be on guard duty tomorrow?"

The two teachers nodded.

The headmaster turned to his Heads of Houses.

"I believe we have much to do."

* * *

"HARRY! How could you!" A scream behind him made Hadrian sigh. He had known that his oldest friends wouldn't easily understand the necessity of what he was doing. The Boy-Who-Lived turned slowly, knowing what would come. His oldest friend Ron Weasley was looking like his despised Uncle Vernon. His face resembled the flaming red hair all Weasleys had.

"Yes, Ron?" His mild voice was patient. It would not do to make Ron even angrier than he already was.

"Yes, Ron? YES, RON! THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY? You, you go… and are all goody-goody with these…these SLYTHERINS! That's BETRAYAL towards Gryffindor House!" Ron's voice grew louder as he spoke, visibly getting madder and madder.

"So?"

"SO? SO! What do you mean SO? Why did you sit at the SNAKE TABLE today? It goes against anything Gryffindor!"

Hadrian shrugged nonchalantly.

"I had good company. Blaise is a charming young lady." He smirked a bit dreamily, though his smirk widened at Ron's next outburst.

Ron stared after his friend, not quite believing what he had heard.

A few seconds after the calm reply, one could hear another phrase ringing through Hogwarts.

"DON'T TELL ME YOU'VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH A SLYTHERIN!"

* * *

"Is everything ready?" The shadow walked silently through dim light of the corridor.

"Of course, my lord."

"Good. We wouldn't want anything to go wrong, now would we?"

"No, my lord."

"You haven't told Snape anything, I hope?"

"No, my lord. As you have commanded, he doesn't know anything."

"Good."

* * *

_And so it was that the seventh seal of Hogwarts was placed. No one would know of them for centuries. It would be fatal if the knowledge was gained by those who wished harm on the castle's occupants._

_I have written this story down for you, the future lord, to read. Row had always been a reliable seer. We have known for years that the moment would come where all of us perished._

_The power of the Seals can only be set free with the essence of your enemies. Beware, for it could bring your destruction. Power, unused and forgotten for centuries, set free in one gigantic rush, is going to defeat you or make you a god between men._

_Be careful thee, who are determined to use the seals. Only one of our blood is able to do it._

_Let our spirits guide you, for it will be the only guidance you will get._

_The Lord Salazar Slytherin,_

_May the Power protect you_

* * *

_My dear Blaise,_

_After talking with you today, it would be my pleasure to meet you tomorrow for Hogsmeade Weekend. Please send me an owl with your answer._

_The wishfully waiting Hadrian_

* * *

She scowled as she saw the look on his face. How could he betray them like that? The professor had been right. Harry Potter was going dark and it seemed that she was the only one willing to do something against it.

Oh yes, the Slytherin bitch would never see it coming.

Ginny Weasley smiled evilly.


	6. Chapter 5

**Sins of the Survivor**

_Disclaimer:_ Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.

_A/N: _So tell me, what do you think?

**Chapter 5**

**Chamber of Secrets**

"Hear me, oh Hogwarts!" his voice boomed, deep and powerful. The traditional green and silver robes of the Slytherin Family glittered in the dim light.

"See my soul!" Cold burning fire spread from the ceiling, enveloping him, burning him and giving rebirth to his being.

"Give me control over the first seal! I bring before you the blood and essence of the ones seeking to destroy you!" Blood flowed freely through the runes on the floor, giving off a blazing light.

It was this night that Hogwarts seemed to glow an unearthly green light, so much like the Avada Kedavra that those who saw it would've either marveled at its beauty of shuddered in fear. For it was at this moment that Slytherins Heir claimed control over Hogwarts. Nothing would be the same.

* * *

The Great Hall was filling up, students chatting away and older years waiting anxiously until they could go to Hogsmeade. It was a perfect day for Hogsmeade with the weather being warm.

_Yes,_ thought Hadrian,_ the perfect day for Voldemort to attack._ He, too, had waited for this weekend eagerly, for it was the first time that he would go out with Blaise Zabini. The Slytherin Ice Queen was really pleasant company. His date with her had actually a purpose. It would let various parties question his loyalty to the almighty Light Side or see him as something other than the Boy-Who-Lived. Of course, Blaise being beautiful helped quite a lot in enjoying the date.

_And who knows? Maybe she's really a potential for a serious relationship._ He closed his eyes, savoring the feelings that she had evoked at their last meeting. Cool, soft flesh, a delicate perfume of roses and fresh wind and ice blue eyes telling of things passionate and hidden.

He sighed. It had been difficult to push his friends from him- especially Ron and Hermione. They had been the only friends he really had that had not been trying to stab in the back but even they couldn't, wouldn't, know what he really felt for them or what he thought. Some truths best stayed hidden.

_The truth is such a beautiful and terrible thing._

And this truth they wouldn't know. Would they be able to forgive him for his sins? Would he be able to forgive himself?

_Probably not, but didn't you decide to do everything in your power to survive? Eh, Hade?_ They were in a war and war only knew one victor. He would be damned if that wasn't him.

He settled himself at the Gryffindor table and put some scrambled eggs on his plate. The food at Hogwarts was simply delicious, especially compared to the food the Dursleys gave him. Although everything would be better than that. He risked a glance at the head table, noticing and going through the possibilities why Dumbledore and the Heads of Houses were not at breakfast.

Hade's eyes narrowed. It wasn't often that these important professors were missing- especially at the same time. A sound on the right side of him drew his attention. He had recognized the presence at once. Ron Weasley. An annoyed Ron Weasley.

He continued to ignore his easily provoked friend.

"Harry." Ron's voice was deceptively calm. "What are you planning to do today? I thought we'd go to Honeydukes and get some sweets. I heard that they have new ones…"

"Sorry, Ron. I've already got some plans." His answer had been soft spoken and as neutral as it could have been but after years of knowing the temper of his friend, it was easy to guess what his reaction would be.

"WHAT! But we've always went to Hogsmeade Weekends together! What changed? Don't you want to go with Hermione and me? Aren't we good enough for you?" He grew louder and louder, until Ron gained most of the attention of the Gryffindor table.

"It's got nothing to do with you, mate." Hade tried to placate him. "But I've got a date. I promise I'll go the next time with the two of you." He had known that his arguments would fail but it had been worth a try.

"It's this Slytherin, isn't it?" Ron's face grew as red as his hair. Hade raised an eyebrow, his expression detached.

"If by this Slytherin you mean the lovely Blaise, then yes."

"Lovely? LOVELY? How can you call that bitch…" he got no further. Milliseconds later he was lying on the floor of the Great Hall, his nose bleeding and his eyes shocked. He vaguely noticed that the Great Hall was completely still but it wasn't that what held his attention. The eyes of his best friend were cold poles of green. Ron had known that his friend- someone he considered to be a brother- had other sides in him, different and frightening ones. There had been flickers of this coldness as his friend had been sitting with the sorting hat on his head in First Year, as he went after Ginny in Second Year and even Fifth Year, when he had seen Bellatrix Lestrange and murder was in his eyes, they had almost never been as cold as now. For the first time in his life, his almost brother frightened him.

As Hade began to speak, it was only a whisper, a soft breeze that was barely felt but all the more significant.

"My dear Ronald," Ron flinched, "I feel a deep respect for you and I love you as if you were my brother," his eyes flashed, "but sometimes you are an insult to the name of Weasley and a shame to Gryffindor House." He stood up and began walking towards the main doors of the hall. Just before stepping out, Hade turned again, black hair falling into his face and looked almost sadly at Ron.

"I thought you'd do better than that." They were his last words but there was nothing else to say.

* * *

Ginny Weasley didn't think of herself as an evil sadistic bitch. She had always been a good friend and an even worse enemy. Sometimes, when she had been a little girl, she had gotten her brothers in trouble- but only if they had done something to her. Now, she was in the same situation as those times with her brothers. It was quite obvious that that Slytherin bitch had somehow manipulated _her_ Harry. She would not stand for that.

"You know what to do." The voice behind her said. She nodded. He had been the one who gave her the solution, the redemption. He had opened her eyes. He had shown her the glorious and strong path to the almighty Light.

"It will be done." She smirked. Even though she was now of the ultimate light, it didn't mean that her holy duty shouldn't be fun. "Just as you have said. I will free him of the Darkness." When she was gone, the figure in the white robes smirked.

"Yes, my child. Go! GO! And give your soul to the Light. Finally, we'll be able to extinguish the Darkness forever." He chuckled quietly. "The Last of the Blood Mages will meet the same fate as his ancestors."

* * *

_Why Albus insisted on going so early, I'll never understand, _thought Minerva MacGonagall as they walked down a long corridor. They being her, Albus and the other three Heads of Houses. To her right was Albus but this time there was something in his eyes that she hadn't seen for a long time. He was not dressed in his usual robes with twinkling stars or smiling faces. No, dark blue robes with silver lining made his determined eyes stand out even more. He looked, simply put, just like the extremely powerful wizard that he was.

Trotting after them were Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout. Both seemed curious but also a little bit worried. They had heard about the Chamber of Secrets and it had not been good stories. Severus brought up the rear with his long robes billowing behind him.

Minerva shook her head. Honestly, how a grown, sarcastic and anti-social man like Severus could be so overly melodramatic, she didn't know. She snorted and saw Albus giving her a questioning look. For a moment she opened her occlumency shields and let him see what she thought. He smiled, too, and they exchanged a knowing look. Behind them, Severus observed them intently, wondering as always what was going on between those two.

Albus Dumbledore and Minerva MacGonagall had always had an unusual relationship, seemingly communicating without words. They had been rumors about them when he had been a student at Hogwarts but nobody had any proof of that.

_And I really don't want to know all the icky, little details of **that!**_ Severus shuddered but stopped abruptly, as it became clear that he was not only in danger of loosing his bad boy reputation but that they were at their destination.

In a girls bathroom.

An eyebrow rose. He had heard that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was in a girls bathroom but he hadn't believed it.

"So the rumors are true, Albus?" he asked, not needing to explain what he meant.

The headmaster nodded, his gaze turning to one of the stalls.

"Yes. This is the entrance to the legendary chamber." He searched through his robes, finally finding what he wanted and pulling it out. "This is my recording of Harry." The headmaster looked at his fellow comrades, searching their faces for something and apparently finding it. "This is the last chance to turn back."

He had offered them a way out, knowing of the legends, which told of horrible things captured in the chamber. Many had said that no living thing could escape it.

"Very well." He pushed a button on the recording device. For a few moments nothing happened but then they heard a hissing voice. The four teachers shuddered. It was difficult to imagine Harry Potter as a parselmouth. Although they had consciously known that he was one, it was something different to actually hear it.

The stalls trembled and moved aside, revealing a dark hole, seemingly endless. Without even hesitating once, Albus jumped down, quickly followed by Minerva and Severus, as well as the others.

The way down seemed to not end. Right and left turns, up and downs. So it was suddenly that the pipe ended and they landed on the ground below. In total darkness.

"Is everybody OK?" asked Flitwick, slowly taking his wand and lightening it up. The room they landed in was not very big but surprisingly clean. The emerald stone walls and floor shone in a dim light.

"Someone has been down here." Albus concluded, quietly looking around the little chamber.

"Why do you say that?" Minerva asked. It was a not so comforting thought that a tiny twelve-year old could have walked voluntarily down here. Even for her it was kind of frightening.

"Because when Harry brought me down here, there were rat carcasses lying around and it wasn't this clean. No, someone must have been down here." He nodded and turned right to a dark corridor leading out of the chamber.

"We should continue."

The group nodded.

Like the chamber, the corridor was made out of the same strange emerald stone but now one could see several carvings in it. A flowing script and striking snakes were situated on the walls. Some were lined in silver, others in gold. It was magnificent.

As the headmaster halted, the group looked questioningly at him.

"When Harry led me, he pushed some kind of button for the lights." He looked searchingly at the flowing script, finding finally what he wanted and pushing a symbol. It briefly glowed. Suddenly balls of silver light appeared over the stone torches, which looked like snakes preparing to strike. Now that the corridor was lit, one could see its beauty even better but the atmosphere became eerier.

"I really can't understand how a young boy like Mr. Potter could have gone down here alone!" the voice of the herbology teacher trembled.

"Don't worry, Pomona. Everything's going to be fine and Mr. Potter was a Gryffindor, so you don't have to worry about him. I saw the boy after he came out of the chamber and he seemed fine." The transfiguration professor tried to reassure her.

"Yes, he seemed unnaturally calm, didn't he?" Snape murmured, obviously thinking about something.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you find it strange that a twelve year old is OK with returning to a place where he was almost killed?"

"He's a Gryffindor."

A snort escaped the lips of the potions master.

"A Gryffindor. I've seen Gryffindors running away from situations they deemed too dangerous before. This has nothing to do with being a Gryffindor."

Seeing that Minerva was about to retort- and not in a pleasant way- Albus interfered.

"Yes, you're right. Now that one thinks about it, it really is strange." Thinking back to the reaction Harry had made him thoughtful but as they saw the end of the corridor even those thoughts left him.

It was the chamber right before the main chamber of secrets. Decorated with the same carvings and script, it was nevertheless more imposing and grand than the rooms they had seen before. Banners in Slytherin green with the personal crest of the family hung along the walls, looking a bit like silky water flowing down to the ground. A big, round door, sealed with silver serpents was at the far end of the room. The great S was enough for anybody to know that they were entering the realm of Salazar Slytherin.

As the headmaster played the recording again, the eyes of the serpents glowed and the door opened.

They had heard the story of Harry Potter going after Ginny Weasley and into the Chamber of Secrets but really being there was different.

The chamber was huge. Black stone columns held the green and silver ceiling, the green banners were everywhere and the light from the magical torches lit the handsome face of Salazar Slytherin, so that it appeared to be alive.

"Gods! This is…" Filius spoke but trailed off. The others nodded, knowing what he was about to say. They, too, were overwhelmed by the magnificence of the chamber.

Only Albus was looking at everything with a critical eye.

"The chamber has changed." He simply stated.

"What do you mean?" Severus asked.

"The last time I had been here, the basilisk carcass had been lying there. It was huge and we decided to let it remain in the chamber. Now it's gone. And that over there hasn't been here, too." He motioned to the round glass ball that was sitting on a pillar at the feet of Salazar Slytherin. It resembled a pensive but it was also different from it. The same flowing script was all over it, gleaming in the silver light of the chamber.

With cautious steps they approached the device. Suddenly it began to glow, the faint light spreading all over the chamber, encompassing it. Salazar Slytherin's eyes sparkled a brilliant green. The light settled on the floor and they could see a person emerging.

Green and silver robes flowed like rivers onto the floor. Serpents lined in silver were coiled around the arms of the person and a hood covered effectively his face. Only gleaming green eyes shone with such ferocity that Filius took a step back.

The voice that spoke was almost hissing its words.

"Intruders recognized. Dark Mark acknowledged. Initiating intruder protocol 7-8-4-2. Threat: DIE YOU SCUM! End threat. Intruders will be neutralized." The hologram disappeared, leaving some very confused but also frightened teachers behind.

Severus reached for his wand.

"You should do the same. I believe that it'll get a little bit uncomfortable in a few seconds."

The others followed him.

The chamber blurred and changed right in front of their eyes.

They were on a battlefield. One could smell blood, fear and tears. Death was everywhere. Figures in black and red screamed as they attacked the figures in white, who had a red cross on their backs. And they were right in the middle of it.

"Well, if I dare quote one of my students: Fuck!" Filius cried out, ignoring the incredulous gazes of his fellow teachers.

"While not sharing Filius language, I concur." The headmaster's face smile changed to a smirk as he fired a curse at an approaching figure. Even though he kept the good- benign- headmaster façade intact, he loved to fight. In his youth Albus Dumbledore had been one of the most cunning and sometimes chillingly merciless people that walked this earth. Not many knew that but sometimes his not so nice persona broke through his shields.

Their situation was not good. Every time that they killed one attacker, another came in his stead. They were exhausted and it wouldn't be long before one of them couldn't go on anymore. With a mighty yell the headmaster released his aura. The magic spread out, a huge wave of power, making his hair flutter in the wind and his robes billow. His eyes shone a brilliant blue, the twinkle turning cold and determined.

Then, all action ceased.

"Magic signature Albus Dumbledore recognized. Previous order Elimination of Intruders aborted. Initiating welcoming protocol 3-2-7-5-3." Said the same disembodied voice as before.

The battlefield blurred and changed into the Chamber of Secrets. Everything looked as it had before they were transported to that strange battlefield.

The hooded hologram appeared again.

"Initiating welcoming protocol." A quiet hum could be heard. "Albus Dumbledore recognized. Statement: Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets, the noblest sanctuary of Salazar Slytherin. Feel free to look around but beware of razor sharp knives and deadly traps, for it would be tiresome to scrub your blood off the stones. Have a nice day." The hologram faded out.

The headmaster smiled joyfully, his eyes twinkling and he looking just like the perfect benevolent grandfather.

"Why, wasn't this a great welcome? I haven't had so much fun for probably a decade!"

Severus shook his head.

"Crazy old coot." He murmured, gaining promptly a kick to his arm from a frowning transfiguration professor.

"Well, let's do like this nice young man in hooded robes suggested!" Happiness and joy was practically oozing from him, making the potions master groan. He so wasn't into these I'm-happy-so-let's-share-it-with-the-whole-world things.

* * *

They had been in Hogsmeade for two hours and still got some strange looks. Hade had put some of his best robes on. Green and silver made him even more striking. He had to admit that Blaise was looking just as good.

_Striking._

The beauty on his arm had warmed to him, now occasionally smiling or laughing. He had been the perfect gentleman, making compliments and treating her like a queen. Simply put, the day had been too good to be true, so he still felt that something would go wrong.

"It would be my pleasure to invite you to dine with me, Blaise." He purred her name, meeting her eyes and holding them captured.

"I would like nothing more, my dear Hade." She whispered her voice dropping lower and lower.

"My Lady." He held his arm out.

With elegant steps they continued on.

* * *

It had been a long trek through various tunnels and corridors, one more magnificent than the other until they finally arrived here.

An exclamation of awe and stunned silence was the only reaction they could manage. In front of them was a lake, a beautiful, dark blue lake. Moonlight shone through a hole in the ceiling but one could see the protective wards shimmer from time to time. It was big, although not as big as to give the feeling of being too large. The walls glittered a velvety silver, especially if the moonlight shone on them. Rarely had they seen such a thing of beauty.

"So beautiful…" whispered the headmaster "you really got yourself something here, Harry."

"I didn't think that there was something like _this_ here. We must be at least 200 feet under the Hogwarts grounds." Filius said, still looking awed by the sight that was presented to them.

"What do you think are these things over there?" asked Pomona, pointing at some floating platforms over the water, all in various heights.

"I don't know." _But I will find out._ And with that he yelled.

_"Demonstrat tempum fuge!"_ The spell shot at the strange platforms, encompassing them and creating white fog.

"I don't know this spell." Exclaimed Severus, his eyebrows rising and his questioning gaze settling on the headmaster.

Albus nodded.

"Not many do. Not even the ministry. I learned it from a stranger when I was on the quest of defeating Grindelwald. It roughly translates into show the time that has been. Soon we will see what uses these platforms have." He turned to the lake and began walking closer to the fog, so as to get a better view of the events that would transpire there.

The fog shifted and formed a figure that was familiar to all of them.

Hadrian James Potter.

* * *

Ginny smiled as she began her trek back to the castle. Her mission was completed and it had been ridiculously easy. She had only to put a substance on his skin and there would be no chance that he would use that dark, evil magic ever again. She would have him back. Back to her and the light.

* * *

It had been dark for a long time now. The moon shone mildly on the pair of students wandering through town and beginning to head back to the castle.

The meal had been wonderful. Both had spoken of many things, among them a possible alliance between Hade and the Slytherin house and some plans on having dinner together. Most of the other students were already back at Hogwarts, as it was close to curfew.

It seemed that this perfect day would end perfectly.

On the outskirts of town Blaise stopped, abruptly turning to Hadrian and glancing warmly into his eyes.

"I thank you for this wonderful day. There are not many who I consider to be …friends and even fewer who are…more." She looked so vulnerable in that single moment that Hadrian's heart reached out to her, compassion filling his eyes and finally understanding. He was not alone. There were people who understood and who had done similar things to protect themselves.

Hesitating only a little, he leaned closer, eyes shining a brilliant green, full of feelings denied, hidden but now as clear as day and claimed her lips in a soft but passionate kiss.

Soft. So soft. Bliss. Passion. His arms were around her, protecting her and holding her in place. A soft moan. Mouths open, tongues dueling, passion erupting again. Driving them to new heights, hands traveling through silky robes. Heat everywhere. Heat, bliss, passion. He was in…

A huge explosion threw them to the ground, screams and curses flying everywhere. People in black cloaks and white masks where flowing into the little town. Death Eaters. Green lights flashing.

Hadrian cursed. Loudly.

_Why must every date I have end in some kind of catastrophe._

He turned to Blaise.

"You should get back to the castle and alert the headmaster."

She looked at him, concern shining in her eyes.

"And what will you do?"

"What I do best. Surviving."


	7. Chapter 6

**Sins of the Survivor**

_Disclaimer:_ Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.

_A/N: _I've finally been able to write! YAY! Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 6**

**Welcome home, brother**

He ran, ran for the lives of others, ran towards his destiny and he didn't care that there was danger, a possibility that he wouldn't return. With a swish of his wand his beautiful robes changed into clothes better suited for battle. Dark trousers and a green shirt protected his agile body. They were obviously made of some durable material, as several nasty curses had reflected back towards the casters when he ran past them. There was only one destination on his mind. His scar was on fire, pulling him to a confrontation that was inevitable.

Hade glanced around. Until now he had been careful to get unnoticed to his destination but that wouldn't be possible soon. The citizens of Hogsmeade were trying to escape the nearing Death Eaters. This was even more difficult because it seemed that Voldemort had the fireplaces cut off from the floo network and anti-apparation wards put up. He prided himself on being a self-serving, surviving Slytherin but even he wasn't cruel enough to let innocents remain without help.

With a vicious smirk he gathered his magic and began taking down Death Eaters. If fate bit him in the ass, it was his right to bite it back and nobody said anything about not killing some scum before getting it on with their boss.

* * *

Hadrian James Potter. The young man was balancing on one of the platforms, his right arm stretched and his left near his chest. Beautiful daggers were in his hands, glinting softly in the moonlight. His body was tense enough to move fast if it was needed but relaxed. Determined green eyes flickered open before closing again.

"What are we seeing here?" Pomona whispered, not daring to speak louder, least she disturb the figure on the platform.

"It is a kind of reflection. An echo from the past that was made visible by my spell." The headmaster glanced thoughtfully at the boy he considered a grandson, noting his determination and desperation.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a piercing sound. Their heads whirled around, their eyes focusing briefly on the round object shooting out of nowhere towards the young Gryffindor.

Minerva gasped, fearing that whatever the thing attacking her student was could hurt him.

Green eyes narrowed, muscles strained as he catapulted himself into the air. Flashing daggers moved so fast, that even the sharpest eyes would be hard pressed to catch the motion.

He somersaulted to a higher hovering platform, destroying the missile while landing on it and remaining completely still afterwards.

"Gods! Where did he learn that?" Pomona asked, astonished.

They were all surprised. Not one of them had ever even suspected that their pupil had such an unusual talent.

"I remember Arabella Figg mentioning in a report a few years ago that Harry went once into a martial arts dojo. That's a school for muggle fighting. He must have been seven or six years old at that time but Arabella never said anything about that school again."

The teachers contemplated this new information, for the first time recognizing the fact that there were things in Harry Potter's life which went deeper than the public persona everyone seemed to see.

"It doesn't matter where he learned it. The boy's self-preservation is coming through. The Dark Lord would never think about muggle attacks or muggle fighting so it gives Potter an advantage over him. This behavior is…Slytherin." Severus Snape's tone was sour. Even though he had spoken to Potter some times when he displayed this new attitude, the years of hatred and prejudice weighted heavily on him.

Albus nodded, watching the young boy jumping, running and somersaulting on the platforms, knowing that someone had to help his adopted grandson to remain sane. He, too, had been so concentrated on the defeat of Grindelwald, so eager to have revenge on the one man who took everything from him, that he had forgotten to take care of himself. He had pushed everyone away, thinking it too dangerous for those he cared to associate with him but one person, one woman, was too stubborn to let him go. And then a man, a stranger, appeared in the one hour when he needed someone who cared, and became his best friend.

"It is the behavior of someone who doesn't want to care but cares too much."

* * *

The odor of fear, of sweat and of magic was in the air, circling over the little village. Hogsmeade was on fire. Smoke hovered in the streets, people coughed while hiding behind couches or tables. Now that the aurors were here, fighting the countless Death Eaters, the more courageous citizens of the magical village were bolstered even more in their courage.

One fighter in particular was having enormous fun. With a flick of his wand, the unsuspecting Death Eater was wailing tears of blood, while the other two looked on in horror. A smile graced his lips as a silently cast spell got the other two Death Eater surrounded by poisonous snakes that seemed to be resistant to the curses.

He shifted into the shadows of the houses, walking swiftly towards the place where the Dark Lord was waiting for him. His plan was difficult, risky but nevertheless possible. Wasn't it worth the price? Wasn't gaining this advantage over the Dark Lord worth the possible disaster that could follow?

It was a street not far from the Forbidden Forest where Lord Voldemort stood. His black robes seemed to swallow the light, making him a black hole in the world of warmth and sun.

Not for the first time, Hade asked himself if it would be him standing there, had destiny taken another road. Tom Riddle and he were very similar, both in appearance and personality. It was a shame, a horrible crime, a curse which the Templar had brought upon him. If there was a chance to save Tom Riddle, he would take it.

"Come out, Potter." , said the monster which plagued the world. "I know that you are here. Your presence is everywhere but I feel that you have changed."

Hade stepped casually out of the dark, a smirk playing on his lips. He looked every part of a dangerous man, not the boy that stood the previous time before the Dark Lord.

"Hadrian, if you please. Harry…is not an agreeable name for someone like me."

His nemesis' eyebrow shot up in curiosity.

"And why, if I may ask?"

For those few brave people who dueled not far from the pair, they made a strange sight. The Boy-Who-Lived and the feared Lord Voldemort were having a civil conversation in the middle of a huge battle.

"Don't you think that the name Harry is too mundane for the hero of the wizarding world? And beside that I do think that you know what the line of Potter did in the last few centuries."

For a moment it seemed as if Voldemort's eyes shimmered a bright green. The green of Tom Riddle.

"I didn't know that you discovered the dirty history of your family. How…interesting that Dumbledore let you have this knowledge."

Hade's grin widened, his cunning shining through his eyes.

"Who said anything about Dumbledore knowing? I love the man, truly, but not even he knows anything about the Templar or their crimes. If he knew, the new DADA teacher wouldn't be here. But that's beside the point. You were once the brilliant heir of the Slytherin line. A man who would have been able to fulfill Salazar's prophecy."

The red eyes flashed once again a brilliant emerald green.

"I will still fulfill it! The world will lie at my feet and I will terminate those almighty light bringers!" he angrily snarled. The fury was visible on his face, filling his whole being, empowering him and making his aura swirl around him.

"And how do you want to do that?" Hade snarled back, not intimidated by this display of magic. "The Slytherin line can't be brought glory by having a crazy maniac as its head!" He quickly ducked and let the curse fly over him.

Their eyes met again, insanity and determination battling for dominance.

"I see in your eyes a small part of Tom Riddle that hasn't been overtaken by the curse." He ducked again and put a shield up. "The Templar have almost utterly destroyed you."

Voldemort snarled again and yelled the incantation for the Cruciatus.

"But I will save the part that has battled this curse for over fifty years." He continued undeterred. "And together we will make sure that Salazar's prophecy is fulfilled."

With a determined roar his magic began swirling around him, its color the shade of the Killing Curse.

"Libero sigillium Hogwartium unus!" And the call was made and the blood shared and from beneath the earth Hogwart's power answered.

* * *

She was panting, her side was hurting but she continued to run, knowing that getting help was deciding for the outcome of this battle. Her blue eyes were concerned, not for her but for Hadrian. She had never before felt this strongly for someone and now that the possibility that another could feel the same for her existed, she didn't want to loose that.

Her thoughts drifted to the wonderful day in Hogsmeade. Hadrian had been a complete gentleman, complimenting her whenever he could and simply spoiling her. It was such a good feeling and even though they had spoken about politics, especially about an alliance between him and Slytherin House, she knew that this wasn't everything. His eyes had sparkled when he kissed her hand. Oh, that soft, tender mouth. It had felt so good on hers. Her eyes closed, feelings of complete bliss encompassing her as she ran faster.

Suddenly she felt cold magic capturing her, lifting her off her feet and slamming her against a tree. She had been only meters away from the front doors of Hogwarts but it seemed that even here she wasn't safe. Dread filled her heart, settling in her stomach.

"You shouldn't have seduced him, bitch." The voice was female but whatever she did, she couldn't see her attacker. "You led him astray, led him towards darkness. You will pay." Blaise felt something sharp piercing her arm. It was like a bee. The pain was almost nonexistent and then nothing. "I'm not a killer. I'm not dark." It was said with such hatred that Blaise would have snorted at that statement if she had been able to.

And with that the person's presence left, leaving her lying on the ground, helpless and afraid for her life and that of Hadrian. Whatever had happened now, it was more serious than it seemed to be. A cold shudder ran down her spine. She didn't like this. No, she really didn't like this.

* * *

They felt it moments after it happened. A huge surge of energy, originating from the walls of Hogwarts, left its borders, singing and answering something or _someone_. Albus Dumbledore didn't know what was happening, couldn't even fathom the consequences of this unusual magic.

"What's happening, Albus?" screamed the Transfiguration Professor. They had all felt it but none of them knew what it was.

"I don't know. Hogwarts gave off a lot of energy. I feel someone calling her but that's almost impossible. I'm the only one who's bonded enough to Hogwarts to call on her power, unless…" his eyes widened.

"Unless what?" Severus asked, annoyed.

"Unless it's Harry." He contemplated quietly. "He always had a special relationship with Hogwarts. I've only seen this behavior in Hogwarts once before and that was with Tom Riddle."

The other teachers stared at him, knowing who Tom Riddle was.

Suddenly the stillness was broken by a disembodied voice.

"Defense measures Founders siege: emergency lockdown initiated." They all exchanged a look, then turned and ran. Something was happening upstairs and they needed to know what.

* * *

Magic surrounded them, connected them and lifted them off the ground. It was perhaps the most impressive magical display in several hundreds of years. Wind blew like a hurricane through the leaves of the trees; the various fires were getting bigger and bigger, making it look like hell on earth.

"What have you done?" the monster that was Voldemort screamed. He was furious but couldn't move anywhere or attack Hadrian.

"Only what I had to do. I will free Tom Riddle from the clutches of this curse and Hogwarts will help me." Fine lines began to shine all around them, slowly spreading into the form of a star. The blood of various Death Eaters glowed in those lines, supplying them with energy.

Suddenly, Voldemort started to scream. It was an inhuman scream which split into two voices. One, a young voice, the other, a voice of a monster. He started shimmering and Hade began to chant.

"I, Lord Hadrian Slytherin, invoke the spirits of the Founders Four. Give me your blessing, for I want to bring my blood brother back." His voice was steady, even though, underneath it all, his heart was beating far too fast.

The air shifted around them until strange shapes started to appear. Slowly features sharpened and for the first time in one thousand years the world saw the Hogwarts Four. It was Salazar Slytherin who began to speak. He was wearing similar clothes to Hade but his seemed to be older.

"You have called for us, young serpent, and you know the consequences?" his tone was soft but caring.

"Yes, I do."

The four looked at each other, each nodding and then finally smiling.

"Then we welcome Tom Marvolo Riddle Slytherin back into the world." The magic changed and it seemed as if it started gathering around Voldemort.

With a last smile the Founders disappeared, leaving only one sentence hanging in the air.

"Give 'em hell, boy." It was obvious who Godric meant. The Templar wouldn't know what hit them.

As the magic finally penetrated Voldemort, his figure started to split into two. One a boy of about sixteen, the other the Dark Lord with the distorted face.

With a grin, Hade stepped over to the young man panting on the floor. Emerald met emerald, their eyes speaking tons, acknowledging a bond that ran deeper than everything else ever had.

"Welcome home, brother." With a smile the two nearly identical boys hugged each other, their joy at finally having a family spreading into their hearts. Their joy was so great, that they didn't see the Dark Lord smiling evilly. With a whispered incantation he disapparated after seeing Hade, who threw himself in front of his new brother, take the spell.

"No! NO! NO!" Tom screamed. His feelings called to the magic around them, which still hadn't disappeared. With one last scream the magic, called by desperation, filled Hadrian Slytherin and saved him from death. One last sob was everything Tom managed before unconsciousness greeted his tired mind and he fell forward, still hugging his brother in a desperate grip.

* * *

It was chaos that greeted the four teachers, when they finally came out of the chamber. All of them quickly strode through the corridors, halting the first person they came upon. It was Tomas Jackson, the aggressive Hufflepuff first year.

"Mr. Jackson, what is going on?" Professor Sprout asked hysterically. The young boy raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by his Head of House.

"Well, everything's just dandy, if you forget that Death Eaters are making a grilling party at Hogsmeade and killing everyone who stands in their way. Not to mention Hade Potter, who's apparently dueling with the Dark Lord and some crazy shield that went up around Hogsmeade and Hogwarts." The young boy rattled on, getting more and more sarcastic with every sentence.

"WHAT!" Each of them - except the Potions Master, who looked quite concerned but didn't voice it – cried.

Albus turned to each of them, determination in their eyes.

"Pomona, Minerva, find the other professors and make sure that every student is accounted for. Filius, Severus, you and I are going to Hogsmeade. And you Mr. Jackson will return to your common room and stay there." He fixed a mild glare on the young child, who sulked but finally conceded.

"Okay, okay, but tell Potter that I hope he got some of these bastards!"

"JACKSON!"

* * *

It was at the gate of Hogwarts that they saw the stupefied Blaise. Her eyes moved but she herself couldn't. With a Finite Incantatem Severus released her from her captivity. Wild, concerned eyes stared into his.

"You've got to help Hadrian! He's alone in the village, probably facing the Dark Lord, the idiot!" she was hysterical.

Her Head of House gripped her shoulders, shaking her.

"Blaise, snap out of it. What happened to you?"

She took a deep breath, organized her thoughts and began to tell of the happenings.

"We had a wonderful day in Hogsmeade. It was late when we decided to return. Most students had already left. We stopped on a hill." Here she blushed, gaining the attention of the teachers, but it quickly dissipated. "We heard screams and then…and then…he turned to me and said that I had to go get help. He wanted to go fight against the Death Eaters. I did what he told me to do but right before I reached the gate, someone stupefied me and injected me something. It was a woman but I couldn't see her. She whispered something about never going dark. I'm not sure. Then I was alone." Her voice broke at the end. It was a new feeling, this ache in her heart, this concern. Her eyes turned cold, determination seeping into them. "Help him, save him, go. I will be alright. GO!" she cried and they followed her advice, running and not looking back.

The heart of Albus Dumbledore was hammering in his chest. When he thought about his almost adopted grandson facing Voldemort, panic seeped into his thoughts. As they entered Hogsmeade, they saw a sight that left them speechless. Most of the houses were burned down, corpses were lying on the ground and people were helping the wounded. There were a few Aurors around but no living Death Eaters.

"This way. I feel his energy but it's dangerously fluctuating." Albus motioned towards the northern part of the village. The farther they went, the stronger the magic became until they stopped in a little street not far from the Forbidden Forest. Eyes widened as they saw the figures in front of them, both kneeling on the ground, both unconscious.

"This is not possible." Whispered Albus, not believing, not daring to believe his eyes because there, on the dirty ground, was Tom Riddle, holding Harry Potter in his arms and both were not moving.

* * *

The hospital wing of Hogwarts was busy with activity. Women, men and children that had been wounded in the Hogsmeade Attack were being treated. Madame Pomphrey rushed from one patient to another but it was in a little private room in the back of the infirmary where everyone was gathered. On each of the two beds lay two similar looking boys, both seemingly sleeping.

"What is their condition?" Albus asked softly, not really believing what he was seeing.

The other teachers gathered around the two beds didn't know why these two boys were so peculiar. Sure, one was the Boy-Who-Lived and they looked similar but that was it.

Poppy sighed.

"Well, Mr. Potter seems to be unharmed- physically at least. His magical reserves are severely depleted and his magical channels are a lot wider than they should be. He seems to have channeled a lot more magic than he should have. There also seems to be some kind of bond, a connection with the other boy. His readings indicate that a spell of unknown origin was cast on him. I suspect that this is the reason why he is now in a magical coma." There were various reactions to these news. Pomona was in tears, Minerva gasped, Filius fell from his chair and even Snape was looking concerned.

"Can we do anything to wake him up?" Albus' voice was broken.

"I do not know." She shook her head, not knowing what she could say to the headmaster, so he could feel better.

"What about the other boy?"

"It's strange. His magical reserves are also depleted but his magic is still playing up. He has the same blood group as Harry does and even his appearance is similar. The boy is just unconscious. He should wake soon."

Albus nodded, rubbing his chin and looking with narrowed eyes at the two adolescents.

"Are you alright, Albus? You…" but they were interrupted by a pained groan. Emerald eyes fluttered open, taking everything in. The young man tried to sit up but fell back.

"Not so fast. Here, drink this." The medi-witch gave him a potion, which he quickly drowned.

"Thank you, Madame." He whispered. Then his gaze fell on Harry, his eyes widened and he began to mutter brokenly.

"No, no, no…"

"Mr. Riddle," the headmaster began, not acknowledging the gasps of the people around him. "Please, tell us what happened? Why are you here, in this form?"

Glassy green eyes stared at him.

"Professor, I…" he took a deep breath. "Perhaps it would be better if I started at the beginning and if you gave me Veritaserum."

"Very well, Mr. Riddle." He ignored Poppy's protests. "Severus."

The potions master nodded and took a flask out of his robes. With great care he gave Tom three drops. And with that the interrogation began.

"State your name."

Tom's eyes were clouded but he answered without hesitation.

"Tomas Marvolo Riddle Slytherin." The professors who didn't know of Tom Riddle were startled, unable to really comprehend what was happening.

"What happened to Harry and how is it possible that you are here?" The question hung in the room.

"Everything began in my sixth year. I had discovered my noble ancestry the year before and studied the life of Salazar Slytherin. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't a monster but a very good man. He had angered a cult that saw even grey magic as evil and was out to get him. Together with the other Founders he fought against them but in the end his reputation couldn't be saved. The followers of this cult had tainted it too much. When he died, he prophesized that there would come a time, when his heir would expose the cult for what it was." He paused.

"And what does that have to do with you?" Albus asked, not really comprehending what he was hearing.

"After I found out what happened to my ancestor, I wanted to fulfill this prophecy and expose the evil machinations of these people but they" he spat " they sent someone who cursed me at the beginning of my sixth year."

"What was this curse?" Filius looked interested.

"This curse started to split me into two. It ate at my magic, trying to twist it and make me into a monster. I have battled it for over fifty years now but the curse, the monster Voldemort, had control over me." Tears slid down his cheeks. Frustration, determination and pain shone in his eyes. "I couldn't… I couldn't stop him from setting the basilisk on the muggleborns…I couldn't stop him from doing these atrocities in my name…I couldn't stop him…I couldn't…" He broke down crying. Suddenly warm arms hugged him, encompassing him with love and warmth.

"Shh…my dear boy…it's my fault. Had I seen what you were going through, had I seen that you were caged inside yourself, I would have been able to help you." The headmaster, too, had tears streaming down his face.

Tom shook his head, green eyes staring into blue ones.

"It is not your fault. Voldemort was too good at hiding my condition. I, too, would have thought that I turned into an evil wizard." Then he suddenly smiled and glanced at the comatose boy beside him.

"But Hade, he knew. I don't know how but he knew. Today he confronted Voldemort. He said that he would save me, that he would lift the curse and that together we would fulfill Salazar's prophecy. He freed me. He freed me…" his voice ended in a whisper, joy and love filling him, shining through his eyes. "He is now my brother in blood and magic. It's my fault that he is in this condition. We were so happy that I was free that we forgot Voldemort. He sent a spell at me and Hade jumped in front of me." His eyes were tearing up again.

Albus eyes softened again as he gathered the teen in his arms.

"Tom, do you know what the spell was?"

Tom's face was grave as he nodded.

"Yes, I know what it was. It is a spell he made himself. It should have killed Hade but I have modified it. He is imprisoned in his own mind. His mind has generated a world from his memories and he can't escape it." A heavy silence fell upon the room.

"Is there a way to get him back?" Minerva asked, fearing the answer.

Slowly the teen nodded.

"I believe so, yes. We have to enter this world and find him. Then we have to convince him to go back with us."

"Do you know how we should do that?"

He shook his head.

"Not exactly but if I remember correctly, then there are some books down in the chamber that could help. I read somewhere that Salazar had to deal with a similar problem."

"Maybe we could find something in the library of the ministry?" suggested Filius.

Tom shook his head again.

"That's not possible. If you hadn't noticed, there's now a shield over Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. It's a safety measure the Founders installed and it can only be negated by a Founder's heir. I'm one but Harry is as my blood brother the only person who can call it back and that's not going to happen before we get him back. Everything inside the shield has been shifted to another realm. Nobody can go in or get out."

Everyone stared concerned out of the window. They were trapped and had only one way out.


	8. Chapter 7

**Sins of the Survivor**

_Disclaimer:_ Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.

_A/N: _Another chapter. Hope you like it.

**Chapter 7**

**The Spirit of a Soul**

Cornelius Fudge was panicking, truly panicking. First, Head Auror Alastor Moody had called from the ministry, effectively disturbing his well deserved sleep. Then, he had been told that Hogsmeade was under attack by Death Eaters who he still didn't acknowledge were back. After dressing in a rather expensive robe and having a breakfast that was too short, he had gotten the information that Hogsmeade and Hogwarts had completely disappeared with people, houses and everything living. That this was a disaster was clear from the very beginning of this escapade. That he now had people with lots of influence breathing down his neck made it even a bigger one. What was he to do?

A knock on the door interrupted his troubling thoughts. A man entered without waiting for an invitation. He was an Unspeakable, perhaps the Unspeakable but even he, as Minister of Magic, didn't know the structures or hierarchy of the Unspeakables. They had always been loyal to the wizarding world, thus loyal to the ministry. But in recent years more and more things concerning the Unspeakables had slithered through his hands. Now, he didn't have full control over them- not that he ever had it.

"Minister Fudge." His tone was quiet and his eyes eerie. It was just like people imagined Unspeakables to be.

"Yes, Mr. …" he suddenly noticed that he didn't even know his name, only his designation as some kind of liaison to the ministry. A disturbing smile crept over the face of the man.

"We have analyzed the situation at Hogwarts. It seems that a huge magical surge occurred in Hogsmeade, disrupting the dimensional flow of magic and thus swallowing Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, as well as everything in the radius of five miles into a dimension pocket." The long and utterly confusing explanation didn't make much sense to him but he nevertheless nodded and tried to appear as if he understood what the man just said.

"I want to know what happened during this battle and I want Hogwarts back! This is horrible!" Fudge raged, not really knowing what else there was to do.

The Unspeakable just raised an eyebrow and turned to go.

"If I don't get news about some progress from your people, then you will recognize that it isn't wise to cross me." A cruel, manic gleam appeared in his eyes. Cornelius Fudge was by all means a coward but he was also a politician and that would forever ensure his desperate grip on power.

The Unspeakable didn't say anything, for there was nothing to say. He knew that Hogwarts would appear when destiny deemed it ready but the bad influences that had the rest of the ministry in its grasp would slowly corrupt everything. Now that he knew how far the minister would go, there was only one thing to do. The Unspeakables were some of the few left who had real power and it was time to utilize it.

* * *

_And there would come a time_

_When the first seal will be freed_

_Through no crime_

_Will it ever succeed_

_And the chosen one_

_Saving his brother by blood_

_Will fall deep into his soul's crevice._

_A sole solution to be found_

_Will appear in the eyes of his comrades._

_Fall deep, discover his soul, remember!_

_For you will see the innermost thoughts of the Serpent._

_Do not let the Lord of Snakes die_

_For if you make this mistake_

_The darkness of light will lie_

_Over Briton's lands._

**_(Excerpt of Grey's prophecy,_**

_**told by Cassandra De Fay in **_

_**the Year of our Lord 1024;**_

_**Library of the Unspeakables)**_

* * *

****

"That's your fault! I just know it! You disgusting, betraying snakes want to give us to your Lord!" raged a seventh year Gryffindor. After the Hogsmeade Battle most of the injured and wounded had been transported into the Hospital Wing, thus the various teachers had too much to do and couldn't control the little – or in this case not so little - quarrels between the students. The Gryffindors in particular were very angry. One of the most important members of their house was lying in the Hospital Wing and though they didn't know anything for sure, they knew one thing: He had been on a date with a _Slytherin _and had not come back healthy. This fact, coupled with Ginny Weasley's public exclamations, did one thing: Almost every member of the House of Gryffindor was ready and even very eager to lynch a bunch of snakes. Of course, they didn't acknowledge the fact that Hade's date was lying in the Hospital Wing, too.

"Yeah? You little lions want to do us harm? You can't even think without Saint Potter!" raged Draco Malfoy back. He was the leader of the radical part of Slytherin House and because he didn't seem to be able to unite Slytherin House, he was out to do as much damage as he possibly could.

The magical energy between the two groups was palpable. It left no doubt in anyone's mind that soon the tension would change into violence.

"Well, at least he did get your Daddy! He's probably rotting in his cell!" a Gryffindor fired back, not one to be outsmarted.

And so it began. Curses were fired, angry voices shouted and the whole corridor with the empty classrooms looked like a battlefield. During the course of the fight the two groups had barricaded themselves in the classrooms. Blood flowed freely on the stone floor and on the side of the battle stood a grinning Ginny Weasley, clearly enjoying the mayhem she had caused.

It wasn't long before the teachers came and split the two groups up but the tension, nevertheless, remained.

* * *

The staff lounge was one of the peaceful places in Hogwarts. Sunlight streamed from the open windows into the room, filling it with warmth and light. The comfortable armchairs were situated in a circle. Cups of tea on the big table in the middle of the circle gave the place a homey feeling. Although the atmosphere of the staff room was nice in contrast to the outside world, the teachers were tense and partly desperate.

In a dark green, almost black, chair sat Severus Snape. He, for once, had managed not to sit between Trelawney and Binns – but that was probably because they were not present at the meeting. On his left was the little Charms professor, nursing silently a cup of tea and observing the others. He had been, not for nothing, a Dueling champion in his younger years and was unsurprisingly one of the calmest in the room. Minerva MacGonagall, sitting on the right side of the Potions Master and right beside Albus Dumbledore, had a blank but stern face. Her lips were drawn into a tight line and her eyes glittered with worry. The headmaster glanced from time to time at his teachers. Most of them had been his friends for years and he was confident that everything would be alright. On the other side of the room Pomona Sprout sat worrying about her Hufflepuffs. With the recent fights between students, she wasn't sure that her Hufflepuffs were safe. Especially if one counted that some pupils like Zacharias Smith had decided to join these fights. Staring out of the window, Hadrian Conrad thought about how things could have gone so differently. One could only describe the whole staff as mildly depressed and extremely worried.

It was Filius Flitwick who spoke first, breaking the oppressive silence that had fallen over the group.

"So, what are we going to do, Albus?" Every teacher turned to the headmaster, waiting for his answer.

"I have visited Harry before coming here." He paused, looking over his colleagues. " Madame Pomphrey doesn't know the cause of his illness other than that his magical reserves are depleted. Our young friend has convinced me of his sincerity and he assured me that he knows a place where we could find a cure." Various teachers nodded.

"Are you sure that we can trust him, Albus?" The Potions Master's voice was quiet but an underlining urgency seeped through it. He had been a spy for most of his life and to trust his former master, even if he wasn't really Voldemort, was demanding a lot of him.

The headmaster locked his blue eyes with the deepest black.

"Yes."

The moment seemed endless but then he turned again and smiled at the others.

"Now, we have to deal with the students. Pomona, Minerva, you will have to stay here and keep order." He saw his deputy starting to protest but held up his hand, silencing her before she even started to speak.

"I know that you want to come with me but I need _you _here. You are my deputy." Slowly, reluctantly she nodded.

"Then it is decided." He stood and started walking towards the Hospital Wing.

* * *

He grasped the cold hand tightly, willing it to become warm, wanting to fill it with life. His brother – he still couldn't believe that he could call someone brother - had saved his life. And although Voldemort hadn't been him, the crimes committed under his name weighted heavily on him. The hate that he felt was not only directed at himself but also at the monsters that called themselves Templar.

He looked at his brother. Hade was pale, almost like a vampire. The Avada Kedavra green eyes, something that he also had, were closed. In all aspects he looked dead, if one disregarded the slow rise and fall of his chest.

From time to time Madame Pomphrey checked her patient, reassuring herself that his condition hadn't changed. She didn't really know who the young man beside Harry Potter was but he looked so stricken, so concerned and appeared so similar in looks and behavior to the young Mr. Potter, that one could think of him as his long lost brother. She shook her head and walked slowly into her office, weariness and sadness enveloping her whole being, for she could find no cure for Harry Potter.

In the main ward Tom looked determined over the motionless figure of his blood brother.

"By Salazar Slytherin, I will get you back Hade. I will not let them destroy our family."_ I will not let them destroy us,_ he added to himself. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps outside.

The first to enter was the headmaster. Blue eyes twinkled when he saw the youth holding the hand of Harry Potter.

"Tom." He smiled, accepting and welcoming the youth for what he was.

"Headmaster." His voice was grave but had a kind of gratitude in it, that said so much more.

One after the other the teachers entered the Hospital Wing, each taking the scene in and greeting the young man. It was only the last teacher that entered who got another kind of reaction from Tom Riddle. Shock and disgust was reflected on their faces but it didn't last long. Before the other teachers could do anything, they acted.

"Templar." Spat Tom, eyes narrowing and hate entering them. He quickly jumped in front of Hade, shielding him with his body and taking a defensive stance, wand in hand.

At the same time, the wand of Hadrian Conrad was drawn and aimed at the young Slytherin. He, too, had hate written all over his face.

"Slytherin."

The situation would have escalated, had Albus not stepped between them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Power seeped through his voice, magnifying it and making the two adversaries pause.

"He's one of those who cursed me with Voldemort." Spat Tom, his eyes narrowing further. "I will not let him near Hade. He will harm him."

Conrad shook his head but his wand never wavered.

"I wouldn't harm the son of James and Lily. It's you who is evil. You want to continue the work of the devil himself. I will not allow it to happen." He snarled back.

"Headmaster, ask Hogwarts for the truth. She will tell you that this man is not here with good intentions."

Albus closed his eyes and opened his link with his school, letting the feelings and information sink into him. It wasn't easy to discern a particular feeling in the huge amount of emotions that crashed upon him but he could sense determination, hate, confusion, uneasiness and a lot of doubt. And it was all coming from his DADA teacher.

"Hadrian," he said after opening his eyes again." I think it's time that you explained yourself. While I didn't get an entirely hostile feeling from you, I felt that you were not happy that young Tom is here. So, are you one of these Templar and have you really cursed him with Voldemort?" The last bit was said in a dangerous, almost dark tone. Not many had seen Albus Dumbledore enraged and most who had hadn't survived the experience.

Conrad looked from the headmaster to Harry to Tom and back. Finally, sighing, he replied.

"Yes. I am a member of the Templar but we would never harm an innocent willingly." He believed what he said and everyone heard that conviction in his voice.

"Bullshit." Tom spat out, his eyes narrowing. "I know a Templar when I see one and I remember the day I was cursed. I remember the hate in the eyes of the Templar, when he stared at me." His eyes glowed Avada Kedavra green. "I remember what he said." Every single person waited with bathed breath for him to continue. "_You, Tom Riddle, will not fulfill the Prophecy of the Blood Mages. You will not take the name of Slytherin, of Evil. The Templars have done everything to rid the world of the Blood Mages and now, that we are almost at our goal, we will not let you bring Evil to this place._ Then he cursed me. The spell began to twist part of my soul, trying to defile me." He turned to Conrad. "So, yes, I know exactly what you do. I know exactly what you are. And you will not harm my brother."

"A Templar wouldn't have injured an innocent in any way." Conrad shook his head. "We serve the light not the dark. If someone committed such a sin, they would be banned from ever returning to our order."

The youth opposite him snorted.

"The almighty light. You people just can't acknowledge that there is evil even in a light order." He said in derision. "You are arrogant but no matter. I refuse to allow someone, _something_, like you near him."

"I already told you, Slytherin, that I would never harm the son of James and Lily! I…"

They would have argued further, if Albus hadn't gone between them.

"Now, now, gentlemen." He looked at both, his gaze judging and weighting. "I believe Tom and even though I want to believe you, Hadrian, I can't take the risk of being wrong here." The sorcerer looked sadly at his DADA teacher. "Take an oath."

Conrad nodded, seeing that this was the only way to help the son of his best friends. He didn't want to believe that his order could do those things but…

"He will swear a blood oath on magic and life." Tom stated.

"Very well, a blood oath."

The young Slytherin turned to the headmaster.

"Would you mind if I took his oath, sir?" The older man only shook his head.

Tom turned towards Conrad, catching his eyes. Power built around him, swirling and moving. The teachers were for the first time really experiencing the power the adolescent heir had. Even Conrad was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his face.

"Do you, Hadrian Conrad, member of the Order of the Templars, swear on your magic and life that should you ever betray or endanger Hadrian Black Slytherin or his kin your life is forfeit?"

"I swear."

Suddenly, Tom began hissing. The parseltongue slipped easily off his lips but strangely enough they understood what he was saying.

"_The sssnakesss have heard your oath. May pain and eternal sssuffering befall you, should you ever break your word. Sso witnessed, ssso decreed."_

Slowly the magic dissipated. Silence issued. There wasn't much to be said anymore and nobody wanted to be the first to destroy the fragile peace that seemed to have settled over them.

Tom's eyes met Dumbledore's. Acceptance passed between them.

"I think it's time that I showed you the books I mentioned before." He smirked. "I promise you: Today, you'll see the true treasures of the Chamber of Secrets."

* * *

Hermione Granger was angry. Truly angry. She had thought that she could reason with them but no matter what she did, they didn't listen. It seemed as if the whole House of Gryffindor was going nuts.

_"Even Ron, that prat. I thought that after everything we went through together, there would be some common sense in him. I thought he would listen to me but what does he do? Does he listen? NO!"_

Her inner outrage was just as fierce on the outside. Brown eyes flashed, big silky hair flipped from one side to the other and her stride was determined and angry. Everyone who had seen Hermione Granger had, wisely, stayed out of her way. So it was not surprising that when someone bumped into her and she felt herself falling until strong arms caught her, she was about to rage at the guilty person. That is, until her eyes met Avada Kedavra green and her breath caught in her throat. He was, perhaps, the most handsome boy she had ever seen. Raven locks framed his pale face and a small smile played at his lips. But it were the eyes that held her captured. Those beautiful, striking eyes spoke of intelligence and passion, of protection and recklessness, of things not yet discovered but already known.

His silky voice cut through the mesmerizing moment, as she was not the only one entrapped in that single look.

"Please excuse me my clumsiness, my Lady." They straightened and steadied themselves.

She smiled at him, shaking her head slowly.

"No, it is me that should ask for forgiveness. I was not looking where I was going."

His eyes glittered, mouth twitching as he replied smoothly.

"Nevertheless, I apologize. But I must say I'm not sorry for this incident. It is not every day that I'm blessed to have such a beautiful young Lady as you fall into my arms." She blushed becomingly, only making him smile more. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Tom." He took her hand and brushed his lips over the back of her hand, making her shiver. "And what, may I ask, is the beautiful name to this beautiful face?"

Now, she was positively reddening.

"I'm Hermione Granger. _Very _pleased to make your acquaintance, Tom." His name came out as a breathy whisper. They would have continued their game, had there not been a rather loud cough behind the pair.

For the first time she noticed that they were not alone. Seeing who exactly her audience was, her blush deepened even more. There they were. All of her teachers stood in the corridor, various expressions on their faces.

Dumbledore – how would it be otherwise? - was twinkling fiercely. Sparks were positively flying from his eyes. His mouth was twitching, making his beard jump back and forth.

Snape's face was expressionless. Only his right eyebrow was rising higher and higher.

The others looked more or less shocked. If it was because Hermione Granger, their brilliant student, was apparently flirting with a boy she just met or that she was flirting at all – it was common knowledge that she didn't even give most boys the chance to ask her out - she didn't know.

"Ah, Ms. Granger! It's so good to see you! Were you about to visit Mr. Potter?" the headmaster asked pleasantly. "But I don't see Mr. Weasley with you."

All of her embarrassment flew right out of the window when she heard the redhead's name. Anger started to gather in her eyes and she scowled heavily - a scowl reminiscent of her Potions Teacher.

"Don't worry, Headmaster. Ron is now otherwise occupied. You'll probably see him tomorrow at breakfast." Her scowl turned into a malicious smirk that would have made even the Head of Slytherin proud.

"I hope he isn't too _busy_." Albus looked over his glasses, staring imploringly at the young girl. An innocent mask fell over her face, making some of her teachers blink in astonishment. They hadn't seen this version of their favorite pupil before.

"Oh, he's just …_hanging around_." Her smile, while still innocent enough, held a certain amount of satisfaction that nobody could really ignore.

"Now, could somebody tell me what's going on here?" She raised an eyebrow while her teachers exchanged significant glances.

* * *

In another part of the castle a redhead with a fiery temper was hanging upside down from the ceiling. He was bound, gagged and generally sorry for himself. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And making Hermione Granger angry had been one of his worse ideas. With a sigh and plenty of guilt he prepared to wait another few hours until someone, hopefully, rescued him from the wrath of that woman.

* * *

Tom Riddle was impressed with the young woman walking beside him. It had been a long time since someone had impressed him but she, she had him awed. Looking at her now, her lovely hair cascading softly down her back, her determined brown eyes not wavering from her path and her imposing stride and unmatched intelligence, he believed himself enchanted by this formidable young woman.

_"By Salazar, I think I'm in love!"_

The thought made him smirk dreamily, earning several indulging and amused smiles from his fellow males.

They had not missed the byplay of the meeting between the two young people. It had been quite extraordinary, especially after Miss Hermione Granger was told that the youth flirting with her was a younger, good version of Lord Voldemort. They still could picture it perfectly.

"_Now, could somebody tell me what's going on here?" She raised an eyebrow while her teachers exchanged significant glances. Finally, it was the headmaster that started to explain._

_"You know about the Hogsmeade Battle." It was a statement and Hermione only nodded grimly. "You also know that Harry was involved in it." Another nod. "What you do not know is that he dueled with Voldemort."_

_The young girl gasped, her eyes becoming frightened and unsure._

_"He…what?" Slowly her fear turned into anger. "That bloody, idiotic…idiot!" Tears were beginning to run down her face as the knowledge of the situation settled in. A hand grasped her arm making her look up. Pained, warm eyes met hers and a part of the pain seemed to go away._

_"As you know, Harry is in some kind of magical coma now. But before he went down, he was able to do something extraordinary. Hermione," he motioned towards the green eyed boy by her side, "the name of this young man is Tom Riddle." Almost before he finished speaking her wand was out and she had Tom backed against a wall. Her eyes were blazing. Gone was the vulnerable girl from moments before. Understanding green eyes were still staring into her. _

_Albus, seeing her reaction, quickly tried to reassure her._

_"Hermione, this is not necessary. Tom can be trusted. Before Harry went into the coma, he succeeded in freeing Tom Riddle. It seems as if Tom here was cursed in his sixth year. This curse ate at his soul and the monster, the curse itself, Voldemort took him over. Harry found a way to free him, Hermione. I can vouch personally for Tom Riddle." The headmaster's words seemed to have little effect on the clever witch._

_"How can I be sure that Voldemort hasn't manipulated each and every one of you, so that you can undermine Hogwarts?" She was still suspicious. Somewhere in the background, Severus Snape murmured something about a second Moody._

_"He underwent a throughout questioning with Veritaserum. I also used Leglimency on him. Do not worry. He is on our side." Finally, Hermione nodded and backed up._

_"Please excuse my cautiousness, Tom. Harry is a dear friend of mine and sometimes I get a little overprotective." Tom only smiled and shook his head._

_"Please, do not concern yourself with these matters. Every clever witch would have done the same. Now, I was about to show these fine professors the library of the Chamber of Secrets. Could I have the pleasure of inviting you to accompany us in this endeavor?" He held out his arm, behaving like a perfect gentleman._

_At the words library and Chamber of Secrets her excitement threatened to overflow. With a bright smile and fiery nod, she took his arm and they were on their way. _

Now they were almost there. Looking around and noticing that they were truly alone, he quickly pressed his right palm on a spot on the wall and revealed a passage leading downwards. Tom ushered them in and closed the entrance, bathing the long corridor in darkness. With a sharp hiss, torches were lit, casting shadows over the walls and stairs.

"I thought the only entrance to the Chamber was on the second floor."

Tom glanced at the headmaster and shook his head.

"The entrance on the second floor leads directly to the Chamber and was built for the purpose of getting fast to the Hall of Serpents. The Hall itself was frequently used for combat exercises and as a place for the basilisk to move in. It would have been unpractical for us to use that way of entering, as there would have been a real chance that we would've encountered someone other than Hermione. This corridor leads us not directly to the Hall but to the Library." With a smirk he raised an eyebrow. "Did you really think that Salazar Slytherin would leave only one way of escape from the Chamber?"

They made their way down until they came to a huge doorway. The silver substance flowing out of the mouths of the snakes on the doorframe was without a doubt magical. It swirled and twisted, shimmered and sparked. A portal to a hidden place.

"Merlin! What is that? I haven't seen something like this in my whole life!" squeaked Flitwick.

"Yes, …truly remarking."

Tom hissed something in parseltongue and the others saw the portal suddenly flashing an emerald green.

"Follow me."

* * *

It was perhaps the most magnificent library he had ever seen in his entire life. And he had seen a lot. The room was big, filled through top to bottom with books of all kinds. In the middle of the huge room was a column of blue water with various water life swimming in it. He looked up and gasped. The ceiling, so similar to the Great Hall, was actually see-through. One could see through the Lake of Hogwarts just like one would if you were at the bottom of the lake staring upwards. It was as if the water column was a hole in the lake, a type of waterfall, constructed for the sole purpose of showing its beauty. Comfortable chairs and couches were everywhere and elegant banners of the Slytherin family hung around the room, cascading similarly to the waterfall, downwards. The walls glittered in the same way the walls where the underground lake was did.

"Unbelievable." The whisper escaped him unwillingly.

Tom turned around, his green eyes glittering with satisfaction at the awe that was clearly seen in their eyes.

"Welcome…" he smirked "to the Family Library of the most ancient and cunning House of Slytherin, otherwise known as the Room of Thousand Teardrops."

"Why is it called the Room of Thousand Teardrops?" asked the Slytherin Head of House. He had always been interested in the history of the Founders. Now, that he stood in the middle of a room that was more than legendary, he couldn't contain his curiosity.

A sigh escaped the young heir.

"These lands had been, before Hogwarts was built, in the possession of the Slytherin family. They still are." Noticing their stunned looks, he chuckled." Yes, quite astonishing, isn't it? But no matter. The Slytherin family was originally from Egypt. My ancestors held the highest positions in the Egyptian hierarchy, being High Sorcerers and High Priests for the pharaoh. But then came a time when the Slytherins were forced to leave Egypt. It would take too long to tell you why. When they came to Scotland, one of my ancestors saved a mermaid from certain death at the price of his own life. The mermaid was so stricken with his death, that she shed one thousand tears on the spot were he fell. These tears gathered and this waterfall was created. The water circulating through the whole Chamber of Secrets has a huge amount of concentrated magic in it. My ancestors said that it could heal the gravest of wounds and give hope to the desperate."

Silence descended upon the group.

"We are not here to hear stories about the heroic deeds of _Slytherins._ You wanted to look up a ritual, did you not?" There was venom in Conrad's voice as he interrupted the peace of contemplation.

"You should not be so …aggressive, Templar. Especially now, that I let you into the Slytherin family's private chambers. Follow me."

Tom offered an arm to Hermione and led them through the bookcases into the depths of the library. Finally they were at a remote part of the room, where everything seemed somewhat darker.

With a hiss the snakelike torches came alive.

"Where is it?..." muttered the young Slytherin as he browsed the shelves. "Ah! Here it is!" He pulled a large book out and handed it to Albus. It was leather-bound and reeked of magic. The title **_The Soul and Blood of Spirits _**was written in gold, glittering foreboding in the light.

"Merlin! I have heard of this book but never believed that it existed! Is this real?" he uttered in awe, shaking his head as he tried to come to terms with his discovery.

"Yes. Although I'm surprised that _you _of all people know about it."

A secretive smile played on the lips of the older sorcerer, as he leaned forward, whispering into the ear of Tom.

"Do you really think that I have only ever used white magic?" His smile widened even more when seeing the shocked look on the youth's face. He opened the book, stopping at the page Tom mentioned and began to read.

**_The Spirit of a Soul_**

_**This ritual was first used by Lord Salazar Slytherin when he tried to save his beloved, Lady Rowena Ravenclaw, from certain death after Nefarius Conras, later convicted of the murder of Salazar's brother, used it on the female Founder, when he was escaping from Hogwarts.**_

**_Beware, you who dare to try this ritual. It comes with dangers and paths unknown. But if you still want to go with your decision, then there are things that have to be considered before attempting this daring venture._**

**_For the success of this ritual, you have to use a ritual chamber that can amplify the magic of the casters. Seven casters have to be involved in the spell, entering the soul of the victim and finding him in the fragments. Be careful, everything that you experience in the sacred soul is as real as it would be in the real world._**

Closing the book he looked thoughtfully at the others. This was it. Their only chance. It would have to be done soon and fast. His twinkling blue eyes grew determined, as he stared into Avada Kedavra green.

"Let us begin preparing, my friends."

* * *

_**A/N: **So what do you think? This will probably be Tom/Hermione. It's an unusual paring, I know, but the scene between the two of them kind of appeared in my mind. Next chapter will be the ritual and everything else. We still have to deal with the Unspeakables, Fudge, the riots in Hogwarts and of course Ginny Weasley.grin And deal we will. evil grin._

_Chi_


	9. Chapter 8

**Sins of the Survivor**

_Disclaimer:_ Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.

_A/N: _Another chapter. Hope you like it.

**Chapter 8**

**The Council of Blood**

They had prepared well, even if there had been a lot of problems needing to be overcome. But here they were and each of them was determined to see this through.

The ritual room of the Slytherin family was sparsely lit. Lone rays of light were flickering over the stone walls, making them seem alive. The seven chosen casters were standing in a circle, surrounding the unconscious form of one Hadrian Black Slytherin. He was as still as a fallen dead angel would be, lying on a pedestal, his black silky robes falling onto the floor. It was a sight that chilled them to the bones but also made their eyes harden.

Finally, they began chanting, their voices rising and falling, like a wave in the dark sea.

"May the blood of the serpent save this spirit! I, Tom Marvolo Riddle Slytherin, seek by right of blood, of brotherhood, of Slytherin to enter this soul! May my words guide my power!" His raven black hair moved in the powerful wind that was swirling around him, produced by his incredible magical aura. Killing curse eyes glowed brightly as he looked at his injured brother. He focused all his feelings into his magic, concentrated on all that Hade meant to him and fed it to his power. Even though he had interacted only for some seconds with his new found brother, he couldn't and didn't want to deny the strong bond that bound the two of them together. His new freedom was only possible because Hade had done everything in his power to ensure it. He would not let him die. Slowly his aura built into a magnificent snake. It hissed and wound itself around Tom before striking forward and entering Hade. For a brief moment the unconscious youth glowed a bright green before the light receded again.

The next to step forward was the headmaster himself. His eyes twinkled fiercely, the brilliant blue color shining through the room. It was easy to understand why this man was regarded as the most powerful mage in this era.

"May the cry of the phoenix save this spirit! I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, seek by right of mentorship and of friendship to enter this soul! May my words guide my power!" Midnight blue robes seemed to shift in the white aura of the headmaster. With powerful eyes focusing on the limp form of his student, he let his emotions fly. All of his understanding, friendship, love, everything he had ever felt for the young man he saw as his son built into a brilliant white shape, rising into the air. His feelings and his magic merged and a white phoenix shot into the body of Hadrian Slytherin.

"May kinship and faith save this spirit! I, Hermione Jane Granger, seek by right of friendship and kin to enter this soul! May my words guide my power!" Brown eyes were looking determined at her friend. He had always risked so much for her, never thinking much about his own well being. Now it was time that she returned the favor. A brown, almost copper, owl emerged from her aura, heading towards her best friend.

"May logic and cunning save this spirit! I, Severus Aragorn Snape, seek by right of debt and allegiance to enter this soul! May my words guide my power!" His onyx eyes were cold with intent. The allegiance of his family had always been to the Blood Mages and therefore to the Founders. Knowing that this young man before him was Hadrian Black Slytherin, whether by adoption or not, was enough for him to follow the others into his mind and soul. He was by no means a friend of Harry Potter. The name of Potter had always been one of shame to those who knew the truth and the Snape family had been one of those who had not believed the Templars and their lies. It was a shame that Lilith Evans had been manipulated so much, that in the end she turned from the truth. She had been his best friend and no matter what had happened in the end, she had always stood by him until Potter destroyed everything. He was indebted to her and these bonds reached beyond everything else. Lilith Evans had been his friend. With a mighty cry his magic gathered around him, black and silver tendrils caressing his skin. The big, snarling magical wolf looked around him and finally joined the others in the body of one Hadrian Black Slytherin.

The DADA professor stepped reluctantly forward, almost as if he was unsure of himself. His breath was hitched, sweat pouring down his face but after seeing the determined faces around him, his eyes hardened. This was the son of Lily and James Potter, his friends. He would not let him die.

"May the Light save this spirit! I, Hadrian Nefas Conrad, seek by right of debt and obligation to enter this soul! May my words guide my power!" A blinding yellow light shot out of his chest forming a fierce looking horse. It looked searchingly at the unconscious Slytherin lord, as if weighting his soul. Finally, it galloped towards him and was absorbed into his body.

The air in the chamber was shifting, aware of the building power these wizards unleashed. Only two were left now until everything started.

The Head of Ravenclaw shifted from side to side, his eyes on the youth. Filius Flitwick had never been close to Harry Potter. He hadn't even spoken to him that much but from the times the young man approached him, asking questions about various charms or sharing a theory, he came to respect him. It was probable that nobody else beside him truly ever saw this side of the Boy-Who-Lived. He could have been a Ravenclaw if he had so wished but somehow Filius knew that there was much more to Harry Potter than met the eyes. He recognized a bit of Lily in him but strangely not much. There was even less of James in Harry Potter, even though many said otherwise. It would be interesting to see what exactly happened in the head of the youth. And he would rather like to get to know him better.

"May the knowledge of the raven save this spirit! I, Filius Ravin Flitwick, seek by right of mentorship and obligation to enter this soul! May my words guide my power!" The blue light of the raven gathered around Ravenclaw's Head of House and shot into Slytherin's Lord. Now there was only one person left.

Minerva MacGonagall's eyes were sharp and determined but in contrast to the others she first looked towards Albus Dumbledore before her eyes settled on the youth on the pedestal. Albus hadn't wanted her to participate in this dangerous ritual, said that he needed her at Hogwarts but she knew better. He wanted to protect her and didn't recognize that she would follow him wherever he went. Then there was Harry. He was one of hers. Not only an obligation but also duty. She was fond of him, knew what fate was set before him and there was no way she would not help him. Her voice was brave and steady when she spoke, the Gryffindor in her coming out.

"May the courage of the griffin save this spirit! I, Minerva Athena MacGonagall, seek by right of mentorship and duty to enter this soul! May my word guide my power!" A fierce looking cat sprang from her, the spirit of her soul, the power of her magic guided her into the youth.

They began chanting, their voices rising in an ancient language. It was clear that this was not a light ritual. The shadows moved around them, encompassing them and binding their magic together. With a fierce cry everything stopped, the shadows were still and there was no trace left of the seven casters.

* * *

She was the first to wake up, groaning as she stood and looked around. If she hadn't known better, she'd have said that this was the Gryffindor Common Room. Everything was in red and gold, Gryffindor colors. Suddenly, remembering that she wasn't alone, she turned around and ran towards her companions. They, too, were beginning to stir. Slowly everyone got on their feet, partly looking quite dazed. It was then that she heard a gasp.

Hermione Granger, her eyes wide, was staring at someone on the right of her. For a moment she didn't understand what Hermione meant when she asked shakily "Headmaster?" but then she realized what everyone else was looking at.

It was unmistakably Albus Dumbledore but not as anybody beside her knew him. His blue eyes still twinkled, power seeped from him and the smile had the same warm glow as always but it was everything else that was different. His former white beard was almost non-existent. There was only an auburn goatee on his chin. Curvy locks fell down his face, making him look mischievous. Tight black dragonhide leather pants and a blood red shirt with a long black coat completed his youthful look. It certainly was Albus Dumbledore but he looked nothing like him.

"Yes, my dear. It is me." He took a lemon drop out of his pocket and sucked it with real pleasure while he grinned. "Does anyone else want one?" He looked over at her. "Minerva?"

It was then that the second round of gasps was heard. Everyone was staring at Minerva MacGonagall. For she, too, was not looking as she had. Long black hair and brilliant green eyes were staring from an impeccable face. She was wearing similar clothing to that of the headmaster and looked perhaps a few years younger than him.

Both of them could have been in their mid twenties, although that was something that could not be possible.

Ignoring practically everyone else, she walked over to the youthful headmaster and took one of his lemon drops, sucking with abandon on the little yellow sweet. Their eyes met, a connection, almost tangible in its intensity, between them, and finally settled on their dear friends.

If someone had said that Severus Snape could look shocked or speechless, then most of those who knew him would have committed this person to an asylum. As it was, the expression on the spy's face was everything other than calm. Albus Dumbledore and Minerva MacGonagall had always been some kind of mentors to him, friends even, and he had believed for a long time that he knew a lot about them. Now, it seemed that nobody had really known them.

"Why do you look so young?" gasped Filius. The others only nodded interested. They, too, wanted to know what had happened.

The two leaders of Hogwarts shared a look and seated themselves on one of the red couches. Finally, the headmaster began to speak.

"The way you see us now is how we looked at twenty-five. This" he motioned to his youthful body " is how we see ourselves in our minds." The young man grinned. His face lit up, making him look like a little boy. "You could even say that this is the physical manifestation of our spiritual self."

They nodded, clearly finding the explanation logical.

"Well," the sarcastic voice of one Severus Snape interrupted the stupefied silence " now that we are all standing here like some of the dunderheads I have in my dungeons ,not knowing the difference between aconite and a beazor, I would like to know where we are and how we can get Potter back."

Albus smiled slightly.

_Trust Severus to get the focus back on the important things. It's good that they believed my explanation. I know that I didn't lie exactly but the whole truth is not relevant now and too complicated to explain._

As they focused on the room they were in, they could see that, although almost a complete replica of the Gryffindor Common Room, it was different. The typical red and gold colors were dominant in the room but something was strange about them. They didn't seem to be as vibrant as the real ones.

"It seems as if Harry's soul and memories somehow mixed and this is the result of this merging." Explained Albus curiously. He had never seen something like this before.

"That's true. For the most part, at least." A voice said from behind them. They all turned and saw an unexpected sight.

"Fawkes?" asked the headmaster, not quite knowing if what he was seeing was true. The magnificent phoenix nodded and spoke again, his voice resonating with the phoenix song.

"When you entered the soul of Hadrian, I, too, entered it. I knew that you would need my help to find him again. As he is deeply connected to me, it was easy to actually get here."

"Do you know where we are, Fawkes?"

"As Albus already said: This is a mix between Haderian's memories and his soul. He's somewhere here and can't get out. You have to find him but that could be difficult as he put safeguards on his memories and his soul, so no one could ever be able to enter it. If you want to succeed in this endeavor, then you've got to know him inside and out."

"That won't be a problem. I'm sure that we know him enough to be able to do this." Mentioned Hermione.

"Are you sure? Then look around this room and tell me what you see."

"It's the Gryffindor Common Room."

"Is it?" questioned Fawkes and suddenly a mighty gust of wind blew through the room, sweeping away the red and gold colors, revealing green and silver. The banners in the room were turned around and now displayed the crest of the Slytherin House. Lions turned into snakes and above the fireplace, where the painting of the brave Godric Gryffindor had been, was the imposing figure of one Salazar Slytherin, his eyes twinkling dangerously in the low candle light. It was simply as if everything changed in a matter of seconds. The warm common room of the lions changed into the cool one of the snakes.

"But … how?" whispered an astonished DADA professor. He had always believed Harry Potter to be like his father, the epitome of everything Gryffindor but this…

"The person you know as Harry Potter never really existed in the way you have always seen him. This is a part of the buried true self of him and you will have to accept this person if you ever want him back." It was perhaps this statement that drove the situation really home. They didn't know a thing about Harry Potter, if such a person had ever existed. Now they had to get to know Hadrian Black Slytherin and it would be one hell of a ride.

* * *

Darien Malfoy, godson of Severus Snape, perceived to be the white sheep of the Malfoy family and currently as far away from Britain and his hated relatives as possible, was extremely worried. The only person he really considered family had disappeared. His beloved godfather, the man who had given him another option and saved him from a fate worse than death, was missing. The whole of Hogwarts was missing and Darien didn't know how he could save his father in everything but blood from whatever form of danger he was in.

With a sigh, he picked up a cell phone. It was time to contact some people that would surely know what had happened.

* * *

After the astounding revelation of Harry Potter not being a complete golden Gryffindor wonder boy, the seven casters set to task or at least tried to. For the Slytherin Common Room had no visible exit.

"Well, we seem to be in a bind." The young headmaster smiled lightly, looking around the room and trying to find an exit.

"In a bind? We're stuck inside Potter's _soul_ and you're telling me that we _seem _to be in a bind. That's the understatement of the century, headmaster."

"Maybe you could help us, Severus. You are the Slytherin Head of House and know probably more about the Slytherin rooms than just about everybody else."

"While that is true, I don't think that Potter's ever been in the real Slytherin Common Room and thus this replica, although pretty similar isn't likely to be the same."

They all whirled around when they heard another voice enter the conversation.

"That's not right. Young Hadrian has been in my Common Room many times." The portrait of Salazar Slytherin said, his voice velvety but deep.

"Lord Slytherin, I didn't think I'd meet you here."

The portrait smiled slightly.

"Well, we Slytherins are always doing unexpected things. But I'm actually here to help my two heirs, Tom and Hadrian." He paused, glaring dangerously at Conrad. "And you will not harm my heirs or help me whatever gods you believe in, I will come to haunt you and make your life miserable."

"It's not in my interest to harm your heirs. I would never harm Lily's or James' son."

"Well, good. Of course, he's not really James' son now but at least you got it into your thick head. Tom?" He turned towards his heir, his face softening and he simply ignored the astonished faces at his earlier announcement.

"Yes, Lord Salazar?"

"It is good that you are free from that malicious curse. I'm sure you will bring honor to our family. Now I will tell you how to get to Hadrian. Basically, you've got two options: One, you only see his memories like you would in a pensive. This is not as dangerous as the other option but there's the possibility that you won't understand Hadrian as well as is necessary to get him out. Two, you risk a complete immersion. That's what I've done with Rowena but it is a lot more dangerous than option one. You will hear his thoughts, feel his emotions and if you are not strong enough or die in one of his memories, then you will possibly go insane."

"But why would we loose our minds?" asked Hermione nervously. Nobody was exactly thrilled to hear of the consequences of failure.

"Your minds will be overwhelmed. Hadrian had a very hard and painful life and many people are simply not able to bear this pain. There is the risk of an overload and of losing oneself."

"So what can we do against that?"

"You will be able to use your magic but it will be harder than in normal life because your will and feelings will be necessary for the magic to work. It will be possible for me to get you out of whatever memory you are in and bring you to this place but then you will not be able to return to search further. If it gets too hard then call on your protection spirits. They brought you here and they will protect you, if it is too hard."

"That doesn't seem to be too bad. We've got to go through his memories and then we'll find him."

"Unfortunately, _Templar_, it's not that simple. If you can't accept the person Hadrian really is and show him that he's not alone, then he will not go with you."

A contemplative silence settled over the group, thinking about the risk they were going to take.

"What do you choose?"

* * *

The room was darkened with only red torches lightening the area. A round table with a silver archaic design, looking both round and at the same time pointed, was in the middle of it. The people seated around the table, seven in numbers, were perhaps the most powerful on earth, although nobody knew that.

"Fudge is starting to become a real problem. He was a nuisance before, that is true, but now he's threatening Hogwarts herself." With the hoods of their coats down, it wasn't a problem to recognize their faces. Piercing blue eyes on a face that belonged to someone who was in his early forties. Blond hair in a ponytail and a noble, aristocratic face.

"It has been long since we interfered openly in the ministry but you are right, Marcus." The red head on the right side of Marcus said. He was shorter than his companion.

"Oh, come on, Gabriel! We've always interfered in the ministry but now we've got to do something more. Our agents in Rome say that the Templars are on the move. They are going to try and destroy everything our Founders ever worked for. The Unspeakables have the duty to preserve everything that stands for the Blood Mages. If the Templars ever do discover the fact that there is a society with schools, villages and towns based on the principles the Blood Mages established, then they will not rest until we are gone."

"She has a point, Marcus."

"So we agree. Fudge won't be in office any longer."

"How do you want to do this?"

"Let's say that our dear minister is going to announce that he appointed a vice- minister and then, well, he's just going to have a little accident."

* * *

The decision of what they were going to do was simple, although the consequences of failure were even more frightening now that they were actually going through with it. A full immersion in Harry Potter's or was it Hadrian Potter's or perhaps Hadrian Black Slytherin's memories and thoughts was both exciting and quite disconcerting.

"Very well. You have decided. May the gods be with you." Salazar's voice was serious. "Bring me my heir back."

"We will." With those words a portal of shimmering white energy opened in the middle of the imaginary Common Room. This was the doorway to Hadrian's soul and with that they stepped into the mass of energy.

It was too much. Hot fire spread through their veins as they spiraled further and further downwards. A final, energetic push marked the end of their journey.

"Is everybody ok?" Albus asked, sitting carefully up and looking around.

"Yes." Slowly the others got on their feet, taking in their surroundings.

They were on a sandy, white dune, looking at a town that was Egyptian in design. A white pyramid could be seen in the distance, in front of it houses, obelisks and various statues. It was a thriving, beautiful Egyptian town. A town that looked like it belonged to a civilization that had been extinct for a few thousand years. The sun shone and an eagle could be heard above them.

"Well, this is certainly surprising."

"Headmaster, are we truly in Harry's soul?" asked a slightly awed Hermione. She had dreamed of being in the time of ancient civilizations and now, although this was probably only an illusion, she had fulfilled her dream.

He nodded.

"Truly remarkable … but yes. I believe we are in the outer layers, although I really don't know why they are in the shape of Ancient Egypt." He paused. "We can talk about this later. Now we should go to this town and find out where we have to go next."

With a swish of his wand he conjured white Egyptian coats.

"Even if this is not the real Egypt, we should do everything to not be noticed." They donned their coats and began their long journey.

* * *

"Mr. Malfoy." The man nodded and ordered a drink.

"You wanted to speak with me." Darien stated, staring in his own drink. The bar they were in was one he knew well. Many apprentices or people going into ritual magic were found here and Darien liked it especially because the atmosphere was simply right. Good music, better people and exceptional drinks.

"I believe your father still doesn't know that you aren't loyal to his cause."

"I told him that I wanted to study before serving." He spat the last word, feeling the bitterness that the notion of serving that monster caused. That his father and brother would willingly bow to a crazy psychopath was something he couldn't understand and utterly despised.

"You were a good spy for us, my friend, but the Council has a new job for you. We want you to become the vice-minister in Britain."

Darien nearly spit his drink out, coughing heavily as he stared a bit wide-eyed at his companion.

"Vice-minister? Oh, bloody great! So you mean to say that I have to work with that moronic idiot Fudge."

The other man smirked, though his smirk was filled with pity.

"None of us can escape the various nuisances that are put upon us. I know this. You know this. But back to the matter at hand. Have you already gained the lordship of the House of Malfoy?"

"As Lucius is a fugitive, the eldest son has the right to become lord. I went to Gringotts the moment he was imprisoned."

"Good. We're working on Fudge. After we get him out of our way, you'll be minister and then…"

* * *

The town was beautiful, its architecture elegant and striking. People were walking around, seemingly not noticing the group of seven. That is until they heard a voice calling them.

"Hey, you!" They turned around and saw to their astonishment a healthy, smiling Hadrian.

"Harry!"

"Hade!"

They rushed to him, wanting to reassure themselves that all was alright.

"You want some dates? They are good and fresh."

"Don't you recognize us, Harry?" asked Hermione desperately. Hade only smiled and motioned to the dates.

"I'm not Harry or as he prefers to call himself Hade. You're searching for him, right?"

This time it was Albus that answered.

"Yes, that's right but what exactly are you if not Hadrian?"

"A guide. Here, eat them - you'll get them for free – and go through that alley. You should find what you're searching for." With those last words he shimmered in a dark light and disappeared. Albus turned around, his eyes settling on his companions.

"Well, it seems that we have to eat these." They all nodded and began walking into the alley. It was dark and filthy but suddenly, the darkness grew until everything was pitch black. Then a scene appeared around them. They were in front of a large building, a school, and walking in front of them in clothes that were obviously rags and too big for him was Hadrian James Potter.

_Thank god. I almost feared that Aunt Petunia had succeeded in making me bald._

The voice was all around them, telling them the inner thoughts of that sad little boy. Following them into a classroom, they gathered at the back of the room, silently watching the little kids around them. Most were talking happily and loudly, only Harry seemed to be still and silent. He was sitting in the back, hunched over his desk making himself as small as possible.

"What's wrong with him?" Conrad was puzzled. James had never been withdrawn or asocial. To see this behavior in his son was strange.

"He's hiding from someone." It was Tom who answered. "That's something I did when I was little. Until I got a way to defend myself from those who tried to attack me."

"Who could he be hiding from?"

Tom glanced at the door, seeing a fat boy surrounded by other arrogant looking boys walk in.

"Him."

* * *

They panted as they ran after him, hearing his heartbeat, feeling his feelings. As Tom had predicted, just after school ended – where little Harry had continued to be as unnoticed as in the first class – the fat boy, which happened to be Harry's cousin, had started to chase the Boy-Who-Lived.

_Through Wisteria Walk or…Library, yes, Library then Dojo._

The little boy glanced back and snorted under his breath.

_They'll never catch me. And someday, someday, I will show the world what I can do. I will be great and no one will stand in my way._

* * *

**_A/N: So what do you think? We're finally in Hade's memories, Albus and Minerva look young, the Blood Council meets and we're gonna get rid of Fudge. Anyone think they know what I plan to do with that? Anyway, I hope to get the next chapter out sooner than this time._**

**_Chi_**


	10. Chapter 9

**Sins of the Survivor**

_Disclaimer:_ Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.

_A/N: _I finally had the time to write. Sorry for the long delay but I had a couple of long, exhausting exams and no time for fanfiction.

**Chapter 9**

**Memories**

Some time had passed since little Harry Potter escaped the whale of a human being that he was forced to call cousin. Now, sitting in a quiet and dusty corner of the local library, he sighed to himself. The library was one of the only places that he could escape to. Strangely enough, he never saw anyone else in this section of the library and looking at the dust covered books, it was likely that no one had come here for a long time. That didn't really bother him. Here he was free to do whatever he wanted.

Looking down at his book he smiled. Nobody at school knew that he could read so well or books so difficult. He had learned how to read at the age of three, when his mother's sister bought some children's books for her son, who didn't really care about them. They were forgotten and like almost everything valuable that was discarded by the Dursleys, it reached Harry Potter. He had known for a long time that the only chance to get away from the Dursleys was to get as knowledgeable as possible and thus to become powerful in his own way. This was his chance to escape his relatives and everything else.

He continued reading. The book in his hands was interesting, though he wasn't certain if he could trust it because everything written in it sounded too fantastical to be true. It spoke about magic, blood magic.

Although his relatives always told him that magic didn't exist, somewhere deep inside him he felt that it wasn't the truth. It wouldn't be the first time that the Dursleys lied to him and he was certain that it wasn't the last time. So, finding something like this book was simply another clue. It was evidence and it helped him to believe it. But in the end it didn't matter because the book was too interesting to discard.

_Blood magic consists mostly of rituals and invocations, although there are certain branches of this magic where other things are used to get to the power of the blood._

_To use invocation one has to give blood as offering to the spirit, god or guardian one tries to invoke. Different gods want different amounts of blood from different beings. Before trying to invoke something one should always know what offering to use. An example of this would be the invocation of the goddess Bastet. Her symbol is a cat. Invoking Bastet while spilling cat blood would bring her wrath upon the invocator. Thus an intimate knowledge of mythology is necessary to invoke successfully without losing your life. _

_The following pages describe useful and simple invocations for the young Blood Mage. While this book covers the basics, __**Gods, Goddesses and Spirits**__ is an essential addition. There you will find more information about the gods._

Needless to say, the book captivated the six year old boy. This was the power he would need to protect himself from the Dursleys and to break free from them. A smile lit up his face as he read on.

* * *

Darien Malfoy walked gracefully through the atrium of the British Ministry of Magic. He hated being back in Britain but it could not be helped. The Council had given him a mission and he would fulfill it. He smirked as he remembered how easy it was to convince Fudge to give him the position of the Vice-Minister of Magic. The spy of the Council simply told Fudge that it would be good to have the new Lord Malfoy on his side. He would be easy to manipulate and it would satisfy most of the purebloods. After the disaster of last year, Fudge needed every support he could get. It was just too easy.

And here he was now, walking down the hallways, greeting people and making himself look good. In a few weeks everything would be different but now he had work to do.

Smiling charmingly at Madam Bones, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, he began to speak.

"Ah, Madam Bones! I've been looking for you! You, of course, know about me being the new deputy to our esteemed minister."

Her brow furrowed.

"Of course, Lord Malfoy."

"Call me Darien, please, Madam. Now there are a few things I wanted to talk about with you. You see…"

* * *

They had been surprised, when they saw the books that Harry Potter had been reading. No one thought that he had been confronted with the existence of magic at such an early age, partly because nobody had seen any indication of it happening.

"Well, this was certainly something different." said Snape. Not only was the Gryffindor Golden Boy apparently non-existent but Hadrian Potter had read about the darkest of magics when he had been six year old.

"Did anybody know about this? He never told me." The young looking headmaster glanced around him, taking in the negative shaking heads of his companions.

"I believe that he never told anyone. He never talks about his childhood or his relatives. I always thought that it was because he doesn't have a good relationship with them but he never mentioned magic. He said that Hagrid was the one who introduced him to the wizarding world."

The young Slytherin heir looked thoughtful.

"He introduced him to the wizarding world but not to magic. It's all a matter of wording." He looked around. "But that's not what's important right now. Where are we?"

The group was standing once more in a desert. All around them were shards of broken mirrors. The sun, still shining with all its heat onto the sand, was slowly disappearing behind the dunes. There was no town or pyramid visible and it seemed as if the desert went on forever.

"Look at this!" pointed an astonished Hermione. She was looking at one mirror shard and it seemed as if there was some life, some scene hidden in the depths of its reflection. And truly, the young face of Hadrian flashed for a short moment in time through the shard before disappearing again.

"What is this?"

"I believe that these are shards of his memories. They are broken so we have to somehow put them back together. Lord Slytherin said that acceptance is essential if we want to get him back, so if we accept his deeds and him in these memories, we might be able to rebuilt the mirror." Mused the headmaster. It sounded plausible and was perhaps the only real chance they got, so the others only nodded.

"But there are so many of these shards here. We have to do a shard each or we won't be finished for a long time and time is something we don't have in abundance." The words of Professor Flitwick settled heavily on everyone's mind. They had a task to do and not much time. How could anybody know what they would meet, when they confronted the memories? Would they be able to accept them?

With a tired sigh everyone got ready to touch one of the shards, still looking quite concerned but determined.

"Go."

For a second the green eyes of Tom glared at Conrad before everyone vanished, sucked into the bitter memories of a young Hadrian. It was night now, the empty desert illuminated only by the stars and moved by the wind that blew softly over the sandy dunes.

* * *

Rhade sighed as he began playing with his food again. It had been two days since that weird ward went up around Hogwarts. Nobody could get out and nobody could get in. One didn't even see properly beyond the ward and this frustrated everyone.

In the last few days the fighting between the students escalated. The teachers were hard pressed to control the student population and although it was natural to be agitated in this kind of situation, the fights happened too often and were too violent to be simply considered an outlet of frustration.

_So someone's actively trying to heat things up._

With Blaise still in the Hospital Wing, poisoned by whatever the person who stunned her injected her, it was crucial to find out who the person was that was doing all this. He had a suspicion and now was the time to find out if he was right. Checking his wand, he opened the door leading to an abandoned classroom on the second floor.

"Ah …so I was right. Good evening. Now, put it down." He said, as he aimed his wand at his opponent.

* * *

"Magister."

"What news have you brought me?" The man asked, looking impassively at the kneeling figure in front of him.

"Magister, the school Hogwarts has disappeared in a dimensional hole. The first seal was activated."

"So there is no doubt that the heir of Slytherin is inside the school." He hummed thoughtfully, then looked into the distance.

"We have no choice. We should try what we tried to do with Avalon. It has to be sealed, especially because the Heir is there. The prophecy can't be fulfilled."

"I understand, Magister. What about the new deputy-minister of Britain, Darien Malfoy? Do we know if he works for Voldemort or for the Council?"

"We do not know yet but he could be either. The Malfoys are notorious for supporting Voldemort but it would make sense if he were an agent of the Council."

"What should we do, Magister?"

"Kill him."

* * *

It was an older Hadrian that Minerva MacGonagall saw as she was sucked into the memory. The young boy was several years older, perhaps even in Hogwarts, but still looked quite thin and ragged. Only his eyes were clearly seen. He had, apparently, gotten rid of his thick glasses. His hair, normally looking chaotic and unruly, now seemed to have calmed down some. And although these changes made him look more mature, the surroundings in which he was, were still not something acceptable for a young child.

A dark alley in the middle of the night, only illuminated by the few rays of the moon that was hidden mostly behind big clouds. What did her pupil want here? She shook her head, her raven locks falling softly over her eyes.

Suddenly, three dark shapes appeared in front of her charge, approaching fast and sneering. The three men looked dangerous. Their wide, malicious eyes stared hungrily at the young boy. Crooked, ugly grins made them even more hideous.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A little boy. Have you lost your mommy, little boy?" mocked the first one, while taking out a knife from under his jacket.

"Yes, little one. Shall we help you find her?"

Hade had, meanwhile, not run away in fear or panic. She was accustomed to his eyes being friendly and open. Now they were cold and indifferent.

_I hope that he will be all right. _

She was concerned now. He was one of her favorite pupils and not because of James or Lily Potter but because she really liked him. In many ways he reminded her of Albus or even that one dear friend from so many years ago. Contrary to popular belief, she noticed how quiet he was, always only speaking when asked something or when he deemed it necessary. His voice was calm and mature, though that was never generally noticed because of his boisterous friends.

He interrupted her thoughts when he pulled two wicked looking daggers out of his jacket. As she looked closer, she noticed that these were the same daggers that he had used in the Chamber of Secrets. How had he gotten them?

"Ah", one of the big men smirked, "does the little boy know how to play? Not going to run to your mommy?" The others laughed loudly.

"My mother is dead." The calm statement startled her. His body was poised for an attack, the blades acting both as armguards and as weapons at the same time. And though the laughter of the men increased and she was startled at the calm tone with which he had made that statement, his next words were completely unexpected.

"And you will be too, if you do not let me pass."

These completely ruthless words both shocked and startled her. She had never heard him talk like this. Would he really do what he promised? As she looked into his cold eyes, she saw ruthlessness in them. She hadn't wanted to believe in it but here and now she truly believed with everything she was that her Gryffindor pupil would kill these men in cold blood.

Even while the men laughed at his words, her mind was trying to grasp and to accept this new realization. Hadrian would kill them and looking at him now, she believed that he would not be devastated after committing the act.

Could she truly accept someone like this?

Then she remembered the time when Grindelwald was active. She had been forced to kill his men to survive. It had been a bloody war but there had been good times, too. She had fallen in love, then. And she had gained a friend for life in those bitter moments.

So how could she not accept the actions of her pupil?

Minerva noticed that it was cold now. Whispers assaulted her mind.

_Survive … concentrate … necessary … no pity …no mercy_

And then she felt it. She felt the ruthless determination to survive, so similar to her past feelings. These were the feelings of Hadrian.

With swift moves the young boy appeared beside the first man. Slashing with one dagger, while protecting himself with the other, he was able to remain unharmed. With a precise hand movement her young pupil buried one dagger in the stomach of the man. Crimson blood splashed out of the wound, as the thug crashed painfully to the ground.

The others, it seemed, were still in some kind of stupor.

"Invoco Isisam, protecte me! Genius invocat!" The dagger, covered completely with blood, glowed. Suddenly light gathered in front of Hadrian. The form, so similar to a patronus, was a great dog. Wisps of blue light flowed like fog from the huge, menacing beast. It barred its teeth at the two remaining thugs and Minerva saw fear appear in their eyes.

"What …what is THIS?!" yelped one of them.

Hadrian only smiled, though his eyes remained their cold green.

"This … this is the most powerful magic of all!" The beast leaped at the men, tearing them literary apart and killing them mercilessly. When it finished, it turned to Hadrian. For a single moment Minerva feared that her student would, too, fall prey to this beast but he only bowed to it.

"Gratias ago. I thank Isis humbly for her protection. The blood is yours. Sanguis tei. Exitus." The spirit of protection nodded. As it disappeared one could see a dull, red glow surrounding the fallen, dead thugs. The blood disappeared and Hadrian walked on, not once looking back.

Was this the fearsome blood magic?

It was powerful, very powerful. Something stirred in her memories but she couldn't quite place it. It was as if she had seen this before. She shook her head, banishing the thought. This was not the time.

Could she accept what Hadrian did? Looking at the massacre, at the bloodless corpses and after her departed pupil, she finally realized what accepting this meant. She would give up every preconception she ever had about him. This was not James. This was not Lily either. This was Hadrian and he was not everything she thought he was. Minerva didn't like what he did but she saw the necessity of it. He had wanted to survive and he did survive. She had done the same, when faced with a similar situation. In the end she couldn't condemn him because she couldn't condemn herself.

And as her heart finally accepted that there was ruthlessness in Hadrian, her Gryffindor pupil, the memory began to glow a milky white. Shards of the memory, which she had not seen, were being restored to their previous condition. They were one step further to having him be whole. Minerva smiled as she was whisked away.

_The will to survive is admirable. Not even lions can do without it._

* * *

He appeared in a dark room with only a single window. The busy night life of London pulsated in the darkness, as he looked out into the black city. Hadrian Conrad still wasn't sure of his involvement in this whole thing. He had been friends with both James and Lily and he had promised them to look out for their son but Harry's siding with the Blood Mages, the _evil_ that his family had tried to destroy for many centuries, still weighted heavily on his mind.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The bitter voice of his best friends' son penetrated his thoughts, focusing him on the memory he found himself in.

A stabbing pain, as bitter as the voice, ran through him, assaulting both body and mind.

_Betrayal… why didn't you tell me ?... sensei…sensei…why…_

With short, painful gasps Conrad fell to his knees and although he whished to close his eyes, something didn't permit him to do so. He _needed _to see this, whatever this was.

His best friends' son didn't look happy. Not in the least.

"You weren't ready. What should I have told you? That you are from a family that has _shame_ covering their blood? That they were one of the most fanatical families that were _hunters_? That they murdered and raped and slaughtered the innocents that were not _pure_ enough, not _light_ enough, in their eyes?" With each and every word a new pain spread through his body, making him cry out.

_Cursed…cursed…monster…demon…murderer…_

"What should I have told you, Hade?"

"The truth! The TRUTH, DAMN IT!", yelled the desperate young man at his sensei. He, too, like Conrad, was on his knees, clutching his chest but not crying or sobbing, even though he looked ready to do so. But his face reflected the growing agony he felt that speared him with every word and ripped him apart with every sentence.

"Should I have told you that it was a Potter, who almost led Avalon to its doom?"

The shock that coursed through his veins was not his, though he felt it as deeply as the youth.

"That is not true…that can't be true…not Avalon…not AVALON!" He shook his head in denial, muttering softly under his breath until a hand fell on his shoulder. The soft but determined eyes of his mentor, his sensei, stared at him, willing him to accept the inescapable.

"Yes, Hade. Your bloodline is cursed, forevermore damned to suffer the consequences of the greatest of betrayals."

"Then everything I ever wanted, everything I worked for, will count nothing. A cursed bloodline cannot be redeemed." And with that he broke down. Hade didn't cry nor did he utter another sound, but the anguish that came in waves from him spoke of a suffering rarely seen in someone so young. "There is no hope."

"There is still hope."

"Not for me."

"Even for you. But only if you're ready to do something drastic."

Desperate eyes looked at the man, conveying how important it was for him. Seeing this, the man sighed. The only way to redeem Hade was dangerous and difficult but he truly saw no alternative.

"You have to purge the Potter blood from yourself and replace it with something else, another bloodline."

Hade's eyes widened.

"What?" he whispered and Conrad heard the thoughts of his pupil clearly.

_A purging of a BLOODLINE?! Everyone who tried that died!_

"You heard me. There is no other way, if you want to continue on your path."

Hade swallowed.

"How?" Resolve entered his voice.

"As you know your late godfather made you his heir, when he accepted the title." He paused. Hade nodded. He knew this.

"What you don't know is that Sirius Black came from a family completely devoted to the cause of the Blood Mages and, contrary to popular belief, Sirius shared these beliefs."

_WHAT?!_

In the mind of Hadrian Conrad something went completely and utterly still, before exploding in disbelief and denial. This could not be true. Sirius, one of his best friends, could not truly share the ideas of the Blood Mages. He had always been against the Dark and was firmly rooted in the Light. How could that happen?

"You might be surprised but it's true. Did you know that Severus Snape and Sirius Black had been the best of friends when they had been kids?" The utter astonishment at _that_ was reflected not only on Hade's face but also on Conrad's.

"Friends?" stated Hade unbelievingly.

"Yes, friends." An amused smiled crossed the mentor's face as he said that. "It's strange, isn't it? I mean, that the best of friends suddenly turn into bitter enemies." He paused.

"It was not a coincidence."

"What do you mean by that, sensei?"

"You see, dear Hade, shortly after Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor – and he was sorted into there because he _was_ extraordinarily brave – a curse was laid upon him. It changed almost all his convictions into their exact opposite and the curse was cast by none other than James Potter, your father."

Pain ripped into his soul, not only Hade's but his own as well. It was not possible. James Potter had been one of the most honorable men he had ever known. He had been kind, brave and good-natured. Conrad just couldn't believe that James would have done something like that. To change a person's convictions was the darkest of the mind magics. Surely there was another reason, another explanation.

"Why? Why would someone do such a shameful act?"

"There are many reasons but one was probably foremost on the minds of the Templars. It was in their stead that James acted. He believed in what they said. Why wouldn't he? He had grown up with their prejudice." He sighed. "Fact is that the Templars knew that the Blacks were completely devoted to Salazar Slytherin's cause and thus the cause of the Blood Mages. They had never managed to gather inside information from the Blood Mages or to turn one of them. With Sirius in Gryffindor it was the ideal opportunity to do so. Very few supporters of the Blood Mages went into Gryffindor at that time, so Sirius had almost no backup. The curse was cast and no one truly noticed it, except Sirius' cousin Bellatrix Lestrange."

Hate swept through him, as he heard that name. These feelings were not his but Hade's. Burning passion, a will to kill this woman tightened its hold on him. How could a person, a human being, feel so much hatred? This wasn't simply the wanting to have revenge. No, this was _bloodlust_.

_…Kill her…KILL her…KILL HER…KILL…KILL…KILL…_

Images of a beautiful, dark-haired woman, covered in her own blood, painfully grasping for air assaulted his mind. She was pleading with him to let her live. Deep blue eyes stared at him, becoming lifeless as the red life-giving blood soaked into the ground. The blood, it was so red. Too red. Crimson water. Too much. It was too much.

_…slaughter…slaughter…SLAUGHTER HER!..._

The voices. They were everywhere. Below. Left. Right. Behind. He couldn't stand it. He couldn't, he couldn't, he couldn't…and he screamed.

A painful, agonizing scream tore from his lips. Blood began to ooze from his eyes and dropped like tears to the ground.

"Help me…" a choked, whispered plea for aid escaped Conrad's mouth.

Mentally, he screamed for something, anything to help him. This _bloodlust_; it was too much. He would never understand this desire, this _fantasy_ of Hade that was so cold and cruel. Conrad began to sob, not caring about the reason he was there. He wanted this pain to end. He would do anything for it to end.

Suddenly, he heard the hoofs of a horse. Yellow light enveloped him, shielding him from the thoughts and images he had to endure for so long. Warmth spread through him and he finally dared to open his eyes. In front of him stood a magnificent stallion made of beautiful yellow energy. The words of the Blood Mage Slytherin came to his mind. This was the companion, the spirit that protected him.

Now, he could focus on the conversation happening in front of him. It seemed as if Hade didn't so much as flinch at these images.

_Could it be…? Does he really hate so much? Is this, perhaps _…_a secret fantasy?"_

"Yes, Bellatrix. I know you hate her but your hate is unfounded."

"Unfounded? UNFOUNDED?!" growled the angry teenager.

"Yes, it is. She was the one who recognized the curse. Bellatrix and Sirius had a very good relationship before he was cursed. When she found out what was done to him, she partly reversed the curse. Sirius had never been truly free from it because only the caster could have dissolved it. But from time to time he had moments where his personality returned to its previous condition. One such time he blood adopted you as his only son and heir."

Tears settled into the eyes of the youth. His godfather, _his true father_, had taken him in as his son. The joy inside himself spread until it encompassed his whole body, removing the images of a dying Bellatrix completely.

"So I am…truly his son?"

A thin smile appeared on his mentor's lips.

"Yes. James didn't know about the blood adoption, only Lily. I don't know why she allowed it. There were rumors at that time that she had an affair with Sirius but nothing was ever proven."

_Lily and … Sirius? Could it be true?_

"Anyway, if you want to go through with the purging, you'll have to reject the Potter blood forever and curse the bloodline into submission to the Blood Mages."

_Submission? That hasn't been done for a thousand years! To curse a bloodline into submission is like making its magic, its gifts and its heritage into slaves to the Blood Mages! Surely, he didn't do that!_

"I understand."

"The full acceptance of the Black Blood will rid you of the Potter Blood but you will not be redeemed in the eyes of the Council of Blood. Only, if an old bloodline finds you worthy, will you truly be accepted."

"What must be done?"

"You will need a sacrifice, human, I think. You share a gift with the Slytherin line. It is close enough to have a chance at success. But before you do that you will have to show the Slytherin line that you have their treasured qualities. I know you can do that but for that you'll have to drop most of your masks. The ghosts of the Founders Four are inside Hogwarts. You will have to show them that you are worthy. Then and only then may you try to gain Slytherin's favor."

A determined expression settled on the youth's face. Finally a small, true smile appeared.

"Soon, the cursed bloodline of the Potters will be no more. I will finally be free."

And with that one sentence Conrad felt his heart break. He didn't know what to believe anymore. Was James truly a bad person? What about the Potter bloodline? Was it still in existence? What should he do now? Was this the son of his dead friends? Was he an enemy?

Tears began to fall down his face. Anguish and pain were embracing him. With a final glance at the cracks that were appearing all over the room, Hadrian Conrad began to sob, not noticing or perhaps not caring for the broken shards of glass falling around him.

* * *

_**A/N: I hope you liked it. Well, what do you think? Who is this person that has been cornered by Rhade? What do you think about the memories and Sirius' story? Let me know.**_

_**Here are some translations for the Latin sentences in this chapter. I hope it's more or less accurate. I didn't have a Latin lesson for years now.**_

"_Invoco Isisam, protecte me! Genius invocat!"___"I invoke Isis, protect me! Protection spirit invoked!"

_Gratias ago ___ I give my gratitude

_Sanguis tei ___ The blood is yours

_Exitus ___ End/Finish


End file.
